A quiet NYE

Most of Tokyo was shut down today for New Years Eve. As we've mentioned before, it’s more of a time of reflection and religious significance for the country vs a blow out of a celebration. I am thankful to be surrounded by a culture that carves out a time for me to reflect on my year.

Chris and I had a slow start this morning (indulged in a little too much sake the night before, oops), so we agreed our first meal of the day should be quick and fulfilling to get us through the rest. What did we pick? Well we saw a couple Shake Shacks when we rolled into Tokyo so...can't take the American out of Americans. There was a Tokyo Edition concrete dessert which was worth the try, but otherwise, we were just excited for some fries. 

After our little taste of home, we wandered around some parks in Ebisu - a cute artsy district I joked to Chris I would live in if we ever moved to Tokyo. Knowing that so many of the shops and restaurants were closed during this holiday, we noticed so many people out with their families, loved ones, or just on a stroll or run in isolation. The Japanese love to walk. They of course have an amazing public transportation system that allows them to get to many neighborhoods affordably and with ease, but they don't mind the casual 2-4 mile walk to get to a destination either. 

Side note, it’s also not uncommon to see kids as young as 6 traveling and navigating the train system on their own. Japan is a very safe country, so most parents don’t worry about always accompanying their kids for short durations. As I've read (see The Anxious Generation), this independence is so great for child development and overall mental health. I just love that the Japanese can prioritize that. 

Anyway, as Chris mentioned, we are going to Tokyo Disney tomorrow (!), so we know we're going to have an early night. An idea of how early, we pushed our dinner reservations from 7PM to 5PM. We agreed if they didn't let us push it, we would grab some fast food and skip over the dinner. Fortunately, they sat us, and I'm so glad they did - the drinks and food ended up being too amazing to pass up. We ate at a sister restaurant from a bar we've already visited called the SG Tavern. Adding it to the list of our favorite restaurants here for sure. 

We made our way back to our hotel and called it an early night. We said some quick gratitudes for our year, and I loved this low-key and reflective New Years Eve. Although it wasn't anything wild, for me, it will be one to remember. 

Happy New Year to you all, our family. This has been an unforgettable year thanks to all of you. 

Disney tomorrow!!!!! Must sleep.