Name: New Year's in Japan with my Japanese Wife's Parents
Uploaded: 2025-07-20T19:16:16.000Z
Duration: 24 min 36 s
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This is another New Year's in Japan with my parents-in-law All right, so i'm back here in Aichi at Maiko's parents house for the New Year's same thing that we do as always But hopefully it's not going to be as dramatic as last year because that one was quite scary But hopefully nothing happens in this New Year's like that.

But like always let's start in the beginning.

Basic passive voice

Oh, you like a baby So for New Year's in Japan, everyone usually travels to their hometown between December 28th to January 4th Kind of like christmas in the west so bullet trains are packed like a t-swift concert this year Even reserve seats were fully booked and non-reserve seats were at 100% to 200% capacity Although we booked the month in advance.

The only option for us was the luxury green seats.

Not a bad option though Show me your favorite food.

It's is my favorite snack And since we've been traveling quite a lot this year wolfie's become unnatural using his ic card to ride the shikansen and more than other Trips this year.

He's super excited to see his grandparents.

You'll see why in a bit Foreign All right, so this time around we're doing it a little bit earlier than last year and the other years as well so Shouldn't be as busy.

Hopefully Oh Before heading to the house, we stopped by the supermarket although maiko's parents already got some new year's stuff We wanted to pick up some supplies and you know some comfort food to make our stay even more chill Prices here compared to tokyo the same the same to be honest What did you guys get we got a bunch of snacks and like my friend's kids are coming tomorrow They are a different age than wolfie.

So i'm not really sure what they eat Wolfie wolfie.

This is for wolfie  That's maiko's dad aka gg You need help One two three This year we're doing mochi tsuki meaning rice cake pounding a traditional japanese year end activity That typically happens around the 30th in this area since we came early this year Wolfie gets to experience it for the first time a little bit I know though that the stone used is quite heavy weighing about 49 kilograms about 110 pounds So gg and I needed to work together to get it set up.

Anyways, i'm hoping that all goes well tomorrow Is But it's like mochi and anko and strawberry so it's kind of similar to what we're doing tomorrow Yeah On our first night We kept it simple knowing that we had a lot of new year's activities ahead of us We chilled at home and caught up on what's been going on in our lives, you know the huge Oh So I know it isn't the new year just yet here when i'm filming it But by the time you guys do watch this it will be the new year.

So many things happened I've got my telly's coffee good old faithful here Anyways, um, it is about 6 30 this morning.

I woke up a little bit later than usual today We have a lot of stuff planned We will be making mochi in the backyard michael's friends are coming over and I think her friend has two kids So we'll see how wolfie gets along with them.

You know, the end of the year is always kind of like bittersweet There's like so many things that like I wanted to do that I never got accomplished but then there are things that I did accomplish that i'm like super happy about One of the things is just going to new york and being able to see all of you guys That was actually one of the highlights of the year if you guys didn't see it It was in my day in the life of me video.

Okay, let's get the day started What happened you break it.

Oh, yeah, I break it with my bike So I need to fix it We'll have to tell grandpa later.

Okay Yeah So today's the day we're throwing down on some mochi But since we have some time before it starts I decided to take wolfie to the park and play with a drone that his grandparents gave him for christmas.

Yeah, you see a honda So one of the things with wolfie these days he's starting to memorize all of the different cars and their makers Hold on Nice good work Second try this is a toy drone.

So not sure how it's gonna fly compared to my gta, but i'm not expecting much.

Oh, no Wow, that didn't go as expected daddy.

We got to go all the way over there So These toy drones are a menace.

They don't hover in place You can like adjust it but then once you adjust it a little bit then it starts to go the other way.

So definitely Difficult to fly maybe it's actually meant to be flown indoors and it was like no wind at all I think maybe i'll just let him fly my drone.

Maybe it's just not a good idea in general i'm gonna go back What's this it's for the mochi Okay Maiko decided to make ohagi a rice ball wrapped with red beans for the little kids today As it's apparently not recommended in japan for toddlers to eat mochi surprisingly in japan over 3500 people died from choking on mochi in 2022 alone a majority of the deaths were elderly but kids under five also made up a significant number Hence, it's fairly common knowledge for japanese parents to be ultra cautious when feeding mochi to kids So yeah to say the least choking would be a terrible way to start the new year Ah So this is a very very typical japanese end of the new year as i've said before kind of like the new year here in japan is Similar to like if you were in the west where like christmas and all the families get together in japan It's like the opposite like christmas is not such a big thing But like the new year is the families that will get together.

So maiko's sister's gonna be coming here Maybe junya maiko's friend is actually coming here as well.

And it looks like the rice over there is doing like a little jiggle Why is it?

Oh, wow, look at this The rice is dancing, huh?

Oh Okay in japan rice itself is considered sacred and believed to house divine spirits food made from rice such as mochi and sake Are seen as spiritually powerful and so are often eaten during celebratory occasions with the biggest event being new years So mochi's ski became customary in japan to welcome the new year's god and to pray for blessings of happiness for the year ahead Oh So making mochi requires a bit of teamwork which helps foster unity and family bonding making it an even more memorable New year's event and since it's wolfie's and my first time ever experiencing it It's even more special for us and something maybe we can turn into a tradition for our family in years to come Turn on the heater.

Yeah, i'm so cold That's maiko's friend and her kids I Went to the same high school with her and they haven't seen each other for quite some time So they're super excited to see each other today Here you go all that hard work for this beautiful surprise mochi got some kinako here as well Oh We never had mochi it's kind of just like a very sticky rice that's been mashed up japanese And it looks like wolfie is getting along with my my kids as you may know We don't have a big family with many relatives in japan So we sometimes feel bad for wolfie that he doesn't get to experience it That said when we do get the opportunity like today to spend time with other families We're very grateful for the opportunity seriously Some of my fondest memories growing up was spending time with my large extended family during the holidays Oh, and these days grandpa is into gardening and growing vegetables.

So the kids got to experience farming firsthand It's something you really don't get a chance to do in tokyo.

So it's cool that grandpa planned this unique experience for them Hey, wouldn't it be nice to eat those now instead of those snacks Itachi I love the positivity, but we'll see Hit okoyama Yogurt or donut You Bring them back.

Little baby So What a lot of people don't know is that these Labels or lids or whatever you call them are designed so that the yogurt doesn't stick to it So when you take it off, it should be clean it like this I I Heard you are not here.

I Send it to our home arranged Transfer we should come tomorrow.

Well when I make a purchase on line at home I often get distracted by Wolfie and you know We don't need it today No water as we enjoy family and authentic Japanese food in our home in this video the sponsor of this video Sakurako want you to also experience a piece of Japan from the comfort of your own home through their snack boxes It's a monthly Japanese artisan snack box with 20 traditional Japanese snacks teas and even special Japanese tableware This month's box celebrates Valentine's delights It has an exclusive Valentine's design filled with indulgent Japanese chocolate confections beautifully crafted wagashi and thoughtfully selected teas such as their chocolate karinto strawberry monaka ume shiso senbei and one of my favorite hitters the chocolate sable cookie all pairing perfectly with their caramel hoja tea and this month's tableware item is this plum furoshiki a Traditional Japanese wrapping cloth as always you get this ultra cool booklet to learn about snacks Allergen info and even Japanese culture So get your own box today or even gift a loved one and experience Japan from the comfort of your own home Use the links below and use my code Paolo and get $5 off your first order.

All right, so here we go this morning We are gonna do a little boys trip to the onsen The girls are gonna go shopping at the supermarket this morning to get some more food You know when you go to the onsen is there's gonna be a lot of people you have to listen to daddy, okay So we are this is the first time You know He knows after several years So it took him about five minutes to explain what an onsen is I was a little bit annoyed at first.

I absolutely cherish these moments Okay, so what I was trying to say earlier is this is the first time we are doing onsen here Even though you know, we've been here several times now Maybe we can make this a tradition with the three boys going out and doing our thing They have some food there too.

So we might be able to grab some lunch together I don't think I'll be able to film inside the onsen.

But anyways We will kind of just see how this one goes Wow, this place is a lot bigger than I thought Now for those of you who haven't been following the channel that closely this year I kind of fell in love with a whole sauna and cold bath experience And fortunately for me, this place apparently was recently renovated.

Although I can't show you inside for obvious reasons Here are some pictures It has decent indoor and outdoor facilities a large sauna and one of the cold baths was 6.8 degrees Celsius about 44 degrees Fahrenheit.

It was so refreshing and it all worked out cuz Gigi and I switched off hanging out with Wolfie.

Very good How long did it take to make the sauna?

10 minutes So we just finished having our sauna.

Like this place is like a one-stop shop It has everything what I like is, you know If you order you can just use these your keypad thing to like buy everything I think this is something that we can probably do every year You know, it starts one time second time third time makes it a tradition We just gotta like keep on doing this because that was awesome Oh, oh no, did it get in your eye?

Our goal is to finish it at 6 I am the Haizenga party lady person I am the Isugakari I did that chair Chef, how was this year's dish?

This year's dish is karaage So karaage Let's eat karaage now This is rice oil Welcome back It's been a while It's been a while How have you been?

You've become a little more mature He's reading my mind Okay, so now that grandma aka Baba has her two sous-chefs, dinner prep seems to be picking up So what have you been up to lately?

Are you still doing the local fire brigade?

Thank you Since we are doing karaage tonight Take some of my Paolo from Tokyo hot sauce here Mix it with some Kewpie mayonnaise and some ketchup Take the sauce here Throw it in like that Put some of the sauce in there Mix it around like this Happy New Year, everyone It's crazy just to think that we were here just a year ago And all of that bad stuff happened in Noto Peninsula Still hoping that all of those people got some help, got some relief Because that was pretty devastating We got the sauce all made up Give this to grandpa later and see how he likes it Got some ketchup here as well If you guys got your hot sauce Try it out with some mayonnaise Mix it with some ketchup That kind of helps mellow out some of that fire For those who can't take all that fire Made only here in Japan, in Niigata And ships all over the world All the way through our warehouse in California Now that dinner is ready Maiko's dad gives his famous New Year's speech At Maiko's family home New Year's Eve dinner is a cherished tradition And the menu never changes Sashimi, grilled yellowtail, shikuzeni Japanese egg pudding, herring roe Vinegared octopus and sea cucumber Oh yeah, and her mom makes me fried chicken It's a feast that closely mirrors Japanese Iconic osechi dishes Typically enjoyed on January 1st But in true Nagano fashion They savor it on New Year's Eve instead Blending tradition with a local twist Gigi, do you want to try the spicy mayo?

Yeah Fried Mayonnaise Junior, want to try it?

Just right So after dinner This is what the typical Japanese thing to do Is just to watch TV for the rest of the night Until people go down to the shrine But we're not doing that tonight We're just going to be watching TV For the rest of the night Traditionally in Japan, New Year's Eve Is the one day you're supposed to stay up And welcome the New Year's God And if you sleep early, it's said that you'll get white hair I guess we're going to have to take our chances this year Maiko's dad is enjoying A hot bowl of ozoni A traditional Japanese soup made with mochi A customary dish to start the New Year Happy New Year, Maiko What do you think about the New Year?

I forgot to send out a lot of my work I got a message It's like, I'm eating for the holidays I'll fix it And start the New Year's Maiko though Realized she missed her toshikoshi soba Which is typically eaten the night before The soba noodle symbolizes longevity And good health, so she's trying to make up for it By having it now Thank you very much Thank you for taking care of me Thank you Thank you for taking care of me What did you get?

This is otoshidama Nice, Wolfie got his otoshidama New Year's gift money That kids in Japan get every year Yup, dude loves visiting Gigi and Baba Okay, so it is the New Year Finally, 2025 And right now We are going to do hatsumode Going to go to the shrine, pay respects And do what typical Japanese do In the New Year Now it's time for hatsumode Known as the first shrine visit of the year In Japan, it's customary to visit your local god Called Fuji-gami-sama At the shrine or temple assigned to your address So for us, our shrine is in Tokyo But if you're not nearby You can also visit anywhere you wish To pray for health and happiness in the coming year And to be honest, there's so much to be thankful for this year Our families, our health All the things that we were able to experience On this channel with all of you And all the things we have planned for the coming year Anyway, thank you to those of you Still sticking around with us We appreciate you more than you know Happy New Year Alright, so that was our New Year's adventure Hope you guys liked this video Like always, if you did, help us out And hit that like button If you guys want to help support the channel Then definitely check out the hot sauce Check out the merch And if you guys want to see more videos like this Or anything related to Japan Hit that subscribe button and the bell button And we'll catch you guys in the next one