A Look Inside the Ishizuka Family’s Year-End Holiday as Hidehiko Ishizuka Describes Their Time Together in a Hotel Full of Relatives and Festive Moments

The Whole Family Gathers

Hello everyone! I’m Hidehiko Ishizuka, and I always want to eat osechi (New Year’s cuisine) all year round.

A year really flies by, doesn’t it? Just the other day, I thought I had changed the ornament at the entrance to a dragon, then replaced it with a snake, and now I have to switch it to a horse. Just the other day, I ate “kuzumochi” at Kawasaki Daishi, and now I’m eating “kuzumochi” again. I love it, so it’s no problem, but is it only me who feels the year goes by faster as we get older?

This time, I’d like to write about how the Ishizuka family spends the year-end and New Year holidays.

I’ve been doing this for about 15 years now: during the year-end and New Year, my family, my siblings’ families, and my wife’s relatives—about 20 people in total—gather at a nearby hotel.

We stick to a nearby place because it’s easy and stress-free to go and return. Sure, if you go farther, you could enjoy a special experience at a hot spring inn. But even at a large nearby hotel, you can relax enough. It’s mostly walking between the room and the restaurant. You either spend time relaxing in your room or eating—just that kind of life.

By the way, I once gained 9 kilograms over the three days of New Year’s! Truly dreamlike days.

Meeting relatives once a year is important. Phone calls, letters, and New Year cards are nice, but meeting in person is the best. You can see everyone’s recent situation with your own eyes. When we first started this hotel gathering, there were six elderly people, but now there are only two. Even a short time together leaves wonderful memories.

Fifteen years is a long time. Relatives who were high school students back then are now married with families of their own. Truly a delightful thing.

Relaxing New Year’s Eve

Spending the year-end and New Year holidays at a hotel isn’t just about checking in on everyone’s recent lives. Hotels place great importance on seasonal events, so on New Year’s Eve, they serve toshikoshi soba (year-crossing noodles), and on New Year’s Day, osechi cuisine is available at the restaurant buffet.

First, I pile up my favorites—datemaki (rolled omelet) and kuri kinton (sweet chestnut paste)—half-and-half. After finishing the traditional osechi and ozoni, it’s straight to the second round: curry and pasta. It’s pure bliss. If I could, I’d have a bed set up in the restaurant!

It’s not quite a hot spring at a ryokan, but the hotel’s large bath is wonderfully relaxing. In a moment of excitement, I even use the sauna, which I normally never touch. Naturally, my routine is three minutes in the cold bath for every one minute in the sauna.

After that, I pretend to accompany the relatives’ kids but end up at the crane game myself. Adult crane games are dangerous: with a bit of money in hand, I ended up spending 1,000 yen just to get a Pikachu.

I also voluntarily take part in hotel events I’ve long enjoyed—like the New Year “kagamiwari” (ceremonial sake barrel breaking). Wearing the happi coat provided by the hotel, I break open the barrel and serve masu sake (square wooden cup of sake) to the gathered guests.

While handing it out and praying for a wonderful year, guests sometimes ask, “Working even on New Year’s?” I reply, “It’s private.” Why participate? Because after the guests leave, I get to enjoy some of the sake myself.

It’s a reward for the past year’s efforts, and a way to give thanks for welcoming a new year. Everyone should take a moment, at least once a year, to treat themselves kindly.

Born in 1962 in Kanagawa Prefecture. Active as part of the comedy duo Honjamaka with Toshiaki Megumi, he has appeared on variety shows such as Ganso! Debuya (TV Tokyo), and also works as an actor and voice actor. Currently, he appears as the Friday MC on Yojigoji Days (TV Tokyo) and focuses on YouTube and Instagram as well.