We’re on the Nankai Express, heading to the Kansai Airport from our Airbnb headquarters in Osaka. The Airbnb we stayed at was perfect for the kids – a Mario World extravaganza. It came with mini-Vespas, a Mario pipe tunnel into the dance room (a dance room!!!), a popcorn maker, a cotton candy maker and bedroom themes like ‘Space’, ‘Pirates’, ‘Sweets’, and ‘Cars’. It also had a Nintendo with Mario Cart. Last night we played a full bracket tournament with all ten of us – head-to-head, single elimination. Accompanied by cotton candy and popcorn. It was a blast!

We ticked many items off our list – Universal Studios, Osaka Castle (at least from the outside), the Aquarium, and Katsuoji. As always, there’s a bucket-full of activities that we just didn’t have time to get to. We all had a great time – the kids in particular are sorry to see the end of the trip arrive.

But I’m also looking forward to getting back and figuring out what our new routines will be. Hopefully we can set up a good rhythm of boat days and soccer and art writing and school and travel.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately of how to live a full life without making ourselves so busy that we miss the chance to enjoy the journey. I want to live a life that leaves enough space for open-ended exploration, but provides enough stimulation to generate into ideas worth exploring. It seems like a worthy goal, maybe even a simple one. But certainly not easy.

So, on that note, I wish you all a happy new year and a full life. Happy 2026!