US President George W. Bush celebrated¹ his 62nd birthday by making a wish Japanese-style -- by inking in the eye of a doll given to him by the country's prime minister.

The president painted a pupil into the eye of the doll presented to him at a dinner with Japan's Yasuo Fukuda late Sunday, an official said.

The traditional "Daruma" doll is hollow and round with blank white eyes and is named after Bodhidharma, legendary² Buddhist³ monk⁴ and founder⁵ of Zen. The recipient⁶ is expected to make a wish after dotting the eye.

"Please make a wish when you fill in a single circular eye," Fukuda explained to Bush, according to the Japanese official.

"The president then circled an eye while thinking," he said.

The dinner between the allies, who are attending the Group of Eight summit on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, took place on Bush's birthday on the eve of the meeting of leaders of rich countries.

Bush was also presented with a baseball windbreaker and a birthday cake shaped like a ball park with a Texas Rangers⁷ logo.

"The president told our prime minister that he thought 62 years would be quite an old age when he was young, but he said he doesn't feel so now," the official said.

Bush added that he was looking forward to riding a mountain bike during his stay in a hill-top hotel surrounded by woods, the official said.

美国总统布什日前度过了他62岁的生日。生日当天，布什总统来了个“日式”的生日许愿，为福田首相送给他的玩偶画上了一只眼睛。

据一位官员介绍，上周日晚些时候，日本首相福田康夫在“八国峰会”的欢迎晚宴上送给布什一个人偶作为生日礼物，布什则为人偶画上了一只眼睛。

日本传统的“达摩”不倒翁是一个空心的人偶形象，其体态浑圆，两只眼睛是空白的。“达摩”不倒翁得名于传说中的佛教大师、禅宗创始人菩提达摩。收到“达摩”不倒翁的人要先为它画上一只眼睛，然后再许下愿望。

据这位日本官员介绍，福田首相向布什总统解释说，“画上一只眼睛后，请许下生日愿望。”

“于是，布什总统边想边为人偶画上了一只眼睛。”

今年的“八国首脑峰会”在日本的北海道举行。而“八国峰会”前夕的欢迎宴会当天恰逢布什总统的生日。

布什收到的生日礼物还包括一件棒球衫，和一个形状像棒球场的生日蛋糕，蛋糕上还饰有“德州游骑兵”棒球俱乐部的标志。

这位官员说：“布什总统对福田首相说，他年轻的时候觉得62岁应该很老了，不过现在他并没有这种感觉。”

布什开会期间下榻的宾馆地处山顶，四面环林。他说，他期待在此期间能骑一次山地车。