Japan Diaries 4: Day 425

Day 425: December 31, 2022

Saturday – New Year’s Eve with our Japanese Family

It's a beautiful day here in Kumatori, Osaka

Mr. Toshi prepared breakfast for everyone and of course I helped him 😜

It’s a beautiful morning. It’s also the last day of 2022. Since most establishments are closed today, we spent the morning at home resting and helping our Japanese family with the household chores. My wife and I also made some dishes for them.

First stop: Eiraku Yumenomori Park

The view from the top of the giant slide

The walking course around the park

The view from the hill in Eiraku Yumenomori Park

One of the interesting play equipment in the park

Time to head back home

We just got some important things and then headed out again right after

That afternoon, we drove to Eiraku Yumenomori Park so that the kids would have playtime together. The park is located in Kumatori in Osaka Prefecture. The last time we visited this park was last May 28, 2018, which was the 12th day of our 2018 Japan trip.

Sennan City manhole cover

Next stop: Sennan Long Park

We got in time to watch the sunset at Sennan Long Park

The kids had fun playing in the park's playground

...while Mr. Toshi's grandsons enjoyed strolling along the beach

We were able to witness the illumination event in Sennan Long Park that evening

We then traveled to adjacent Sennan City to enjoy the sunset and wander through Sennan Long Park. The beachfront park offers a stunning view of the Kansai International Airport Bridge. Certain areas of the park were illuminated, making them popular with photographers. Ella and Karin also had fun with the playground equipment.

It was getting cold so we decided to have coffee at the nearby Starbucks

Here's my order

We headed back to Sennan Long Park to check out the illumination

Before leaving the park, we stopped by the Starbucks which is also inside the park grounds to get some coffee. Before leaving the park, we checked out the beautiful illumination on its grounds.

Next stop: Aeon Mall Rinku Station

For dinner, I ordered this in Torisaku

Look who won in the UFO Catcher game

Mr. Toshi's grandchildren also had a great time

We then proceeded to Aeon Mall Rinku Station to eat supper at the food court. We ordered meals from different food shops based on our preferences. Torisaku was where I got mine.

When we got home, we watched Kohaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦) while waiting for the New Year

From there, we drove back home. We didn’t call it a day yet though. Since it is the last day of the year we stayed up and watched the Kohaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦) while waiting for the New Year.

We had the New Year family picture before calling it a day

Although the New Year event here is less noisy than that in the Philippines, I’m still really thankful that we are celebrating it with family.

Overall, it was a memorable last day of 2022. Happy New Year everyone! I pray that your 2023 will be amazing.

Read more:

Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 61

Eiraku Yumenomori Park
Sennan Long Park

Japan's Awesome Manhole Covers

10 Things to Do in Kumatori

10 Things to Do in Sennan City

Japan Diaries 4: Summary