Hi all, my girlfriend and I are planning to do a trip to Kansai Dec 27th – 1st (taking the shinkansen to Tokyo on the 1st to catch a flight on the 2nd at Haneda).
We’re staying 2 nights (27-29) in Osaka and 3 nights in Kyoto (29-1) so we can go for hatsu moode (yes, we know that all the shrines will be super crowded but I think we’d like to try it out).
We’re debating between whether we should stay at a super fancy hotel (like the Park Hyatt or the Ritz Carlton, using points) or a business hotel. We don’t expect to spend much time in the hotel anyway, so maybe a business hotel near Higashiyama will do.
My main question is whether fancier hotels would offer osechi. If not, we’re perfectly fine with buying them at a depachika and eating it in our hotel room. Please give us some suggestions.
Thank you!
4 comments
Most of the ones at department stores are pre-orders that get delivered to your residence. They start putting out brochures around October, and the limited and popular ones, like ones made by certain chefs or from certain hotels, tend to sell out quickly. For two people, a nice mid-range one will be about ¥40000 (at least ¥20000, but as high as ¥80000+), just so you know. I’ve never stayed in a fancy hotel during that time, but a lot of nicer hotels are making them to send around the country, so I imagine it is possible to arrange. This year, there were some from places in Kyoto available through my local department store, but they were limited to five total meals for my region. Typically, the offerings are much more localized, but include a lot of the same traditional items, unless you’re going for the newer Western-style ones.
I am sure they will have some for sale closer to the date in store, but it sounds like the best bet is to contact your hotel and arrange through them. It’d be worth staying somewhere nicer to have that work out a bit smoother for you, and with a degree of certainty.
I get you’re travelling with your girlfriend but honestly, get the cheapest reasonable accommodation you can. Use your savings on other things like food, transportation, etc. I used to spring for nicer hotels w/ my girlfriend but then I realized that at the end of the day you’re just sleeping there and at the end of the day there’s little to no difference between a cheap and expensive hotel. If you’re going to splurge, splurge on restaurants instead.
You’ll be able to buy osechi all over the place.
Not that your asking, but after a number of NYs in Japan, I’ve found Kyoto to have the most things “open” in terms of food and bars at that time of year, so good choice!
Ive never heard of this before. Ill have to try it if Im ever in Japan around New Year’s