This year, we decided to order Osechi ryori from a restaurant we frequent. Unlike traditional Japanese Osechi, this one had a more Western twist, which makes sense since the restaurant usually serves French or Italian cuisine.

We made the reservation for the Osechi box back in October and picked it up from the restaurant yesterday, on New Year’s Eve, around lunchtime. The box included a variety of dishes, featuring some of our favorites from the restaurant.

At ¥12,000, it wasn’t exactly cheap, but considering it’s New Year’s, and since we are regulars at this restaurant and trust their quality, we decided to go for it. To complement the meal, we also bought high-quality sirloin from a local butcher and paired it with a nice bottle of red wine.

When evening came, we turned on NHK to watch Kohaku Uta Gassen, a long-standing New Year’s tradition in Japan where the year’s popular singers perform to welcome the new year. Vaundy and Creepy Nuts stood out as our favorites, and they’ve definitely been some of our most listened-to artists in 2024.

Enjoying Osechi ryori while watching Kohaku Uta Gassen made us feel very connected to Japanese New Year traditions. The only things missing were some mikan (mandarin oranges) and a visit to a local Shinto shrine for hatsumode. Of course, there’s still time for that—we can make the trip in the coming days.

How about you? How did you celebrate your New Year’s?