Aika Kanda’s Stimulating New Year in the Netherlands

Now it’s time to go to Amsterdam!

I spent last New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The year before last and three years ago, I went to my favorite city, New York, so my mother, who always accompanies me, said, “Let’s go somewhere different for once.” So far, we’ve spent New Year’s in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas together. It’s true that my preferences have strongly influenced our destinations. She even threw out the line, “I don’t have much time left, how many more chances will I get to go abroad?” which was a bit of a final blow for me. This time, I decided to go wherever she wanted.

The first place that came up as a candidate was Paris. It’s a city I also wanted to spend New Year’s in at least once in my life. However, by this time, it was already late October, and the plan had been delayed due to work commitments.

The most important thing I consider when celebrating New Year’s overseas is the view from the hotel room. It would be too dangerous for my 74-year-old mother to join the young crowd at a countdown event, so I always book a room where we can see the events and fireworks. However, such rooms are hard to come by. By this point, there were no ideal rooms available in Paris, so I gave up.

Next up was Antwerp, Belgium. Nine years ago, I saw Antwerp Central Station on TV and was so struck by its beauty that I thought, “I want to see it.” It was a place I hadn’t heard of before. After doing a quick search, I found it to be a small city, so I thought, “It probably won’t be the flashy New Year’s I enjoy,” and asked for the next suggestion.

And that suggestion was Amsterdam. My mother had visited on a guided tour once but only had an hour of free time. She had wanted to see the “Anaconda Bridge,” which she had read about in a newspaper 13 years ago, but couldn’t make it. She showed me the article, saying, “I still want to see it.” (I was surprised she had kept it all these years!) When I looked up New Year’s in Amsterdam, I was even more surprised.

Apparently, during the transition into the New Year, it’s allowed to set off firecrackers all over the city, and particularly in the famous Dam Square, the sound of explosions goes on for hours, making it impossible to sleep. There are even warning signs stating, “If you get injured, it’s all your own responsibility.” I thought, “This sounds so interesting!” Moreover, there was still availability for an ideal room facing Dam Square, so we decided to spend New Year’s in Amsterdam. Afterward, we would travel by train and spend a few days in Antwerp.

And so, the journey began! I’m still a loyal JAL customer. While other airlines offered direct flights to the Netherlands, I deliberately flew JAL, which required a transfer in London, and after 19 hours, I finally arrived. I changed to a train and finally reached Amsterdam Central Station around 10 p.m.

Even though I was moved by the scenery, not on the road

In fact, I’m not a fan of Europe’s “We have so much history” sales pitch. I’ve visited London, Paris, Italy, Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia. Despite this, I like New York. It’s a flaw of mine, but whenever I visit European countries, I find them charming until the second day. By the third day, everything seems old and the same, and I think, “Are they too stuck in their past glory? Are they rejecting new things?” I expected the same this time but as soon as I stepped out of the station, all my doubts disappeared.

The orange lights adorning numerous buildings beautifully reflected on the water of the canal flowing in front of the station, creating a mesmerizing effect. The main street leading from the station to Dam Square was covered in crown-shaped illuminations that connected the buildings on both sides, forming a glowing archway in the sky. The warm reflection of the light on the brick and stone buildings created a soft, sparkling glow that enveloped the area in all directions. It was a fantastical scene I had never seen before, and I was immediately captivated.

Dragging my large suitcase, I walked through this sparkling world, trying to memorize everything I saw, walking with my eyes wide open. Then suddenly, my suitcase stopped moving. Looking at the wheels, I saw that dirty paper had gotten caught in them. (Why!?), I thought, and as I looked around, I realized the streets were covered in so much garbage that every step I took would land on trash. “How dirty!” I thought. The amount of garbage on the streets was by far the highest I had ever seen in any city, and the cobblestone streets made it feel like the wheels might fly off. (I knew it! Europe is tough!!) That was just the beginning. What followed would be a shocking New Year’s experience.

Born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University with a degree in mathematics, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003, and left in 2012 to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety shows, and currently appears regularly as the main MC of the daytime TV program “Poka Poka” (Fuji Television Network).

 

★The author’s first book, compiling this series, titled “Where Does the Path of the ‘Royal Road’ Lead?” is now available and receiving great acclaim!

From the February 7, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”