O-shogatsu

I'm neither proud nor embarrassed to admit that Jon and I were home by 8:50 last night (after an early dinner in Sannomiya - I think we found the only open restaurant in all of Kobe) and in bed by 11:50. We almost made it until midnight! In our defense, New Year's Eve in Japan isn't quite the same as New Year's Eve in other parts of the world. It's more of a quiet celebration - a reflection on the year that's passed. It's a time for visiting family and gathering at shrines - not for partying into the wee hours of the morning. Which is fine with me. I'm one of those people that has always thought New Year's Eve is a bit over-rated (gasp!). I do, however, love the idea of new beginnings. And 2009 promises to be exactly that...  

We did manage to ring in the new year this evening with some sparkling sake, wasabi covered almonds (purchases from our recent sake walk), and a couple hands of cribbage. Perfect!