ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

So, my birthday is coming up soon, and I've no clue what to do. As the years go by, I realized that I have celebrated my birthday less and less. I remember when I was a child, I would have big birthday parties. All of my family would get together, usually at my house. There would be lots of presents waiting for me by the table. And on top of the table would be a decent sized cake, one big enough that everyone could at least have a small piece (and I remember this one birthday where I had ice cream cake! That was the best!).



When I was older, I would still have parties, but they would be a bit smaller, and instead of family, I would have a few friends over instead. Cake may or may not have been involved, and I think I still got a few presents from my friends, but the main thing was for us just to have fun hanging out. I remember how I use to play video games long into the night with them. It was quite fun.
I wonder what birthdays are like in Japan. I am sure it varies from person to person. Do kids get big parties for celebration? I somehow don't think that cake is involved. Is there an alternative for the cake? Culture and traditions are different, and I would love to see first hand the celebration of a birthday in Japan. Not just kids, but adults as well (if people still celebrate their birthday as an adult).
My birthday has a lot of potential, seeing as it's during summer, more or less. That means bbq, going to the beach/river, and playing outside in general. I guess we will see how it plays out this year!