The One About Japan (part 6)

Shabu Shabu time!

December 31, 2017

It's New Year's eve. But it's going to be a super short post this time. I think I'm pretty knackered from the previous pack-unpack mode the last couple of days.. We didn't really plan anything special for New Year's celebration. But do read on anyway.

So knowing that most shops will be closing on January 1st partly due to New Year's holiday, we decided to cram in a little bit of shopping today. Starting the day with a quick breakfast at Starbucks (I'm in love with their chocolate chip cookies.. it was different from our Starbucks' version). Then, we took a quick stroll around Ginza.

Before we knew it, it was time for lunch. So we had a quick Shabu Shabu lunch at one of the Marronier department store. They had a nice Shabu Shabu restaurant on the top floor (photos at the top) which we had a very excellent meal. Since we had a reservation for a New Year's eve dinner at Park Hyatt Hotel, we decided to spend the rest of our day in Shinjuku area because it is much closer to the hotel. We went to Isetan, and stroll around Shibuya in search for Nintendo console game (no luck though, they were sold out everywhere we go).

I was pretty tired, so I didn't took many pictures. We meet up with my parents for dinner at the Park Hyatt hotel where we had Kaiseki style dinner and then went straight back to our hotel in Ginza.

It was pretty quite on New Year's eve. By 9pm-ish the street were already deserted. All shops have closed since 6pm (except for convenient stores and 24/7 small restaurants). I don't think that having New Year's eve party is big in Japan. People mainly celebrated at their own home or having a quite dinner with friends and family, then off to the temple for praying thanking God for a wonderful year and hoping for a better new year ahead. I'm sure there's bound to be a party somewhere.. but for the most part, it was pretty quite.

Anyway. I spend the rest of 2016 in bed, with both kids fast asleep, munching away some snacks I bought at the convenient store. Peace and quite. I love it.

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