Isetan Shinjuku is accepting pre-orders for its "Isetan Exclusive Osechi" until December 23rd. When reservations began in early October, there were lines of people waiting for the store to open, and the store is currently off to a strong start, up 4% from last year. Osechi dishes from Sanpiroron, a famously difficult-to-reserve restaurant serving creative Japanese cuisine; TERAKOYA, a French restaurant by Chef Hazama Mitsuo; and Sushi Aoki, known for its Edomae sushi craftsmanship, all sold out on the first day. This year's lineup is once again diverse, including specially selected osechi dishes from renowned restaurants in Tokyo, Kyoto, and the Hokuriku region; Chinese osechi dishes filled with a variety of famous dishes from Shanghai, Beijing, Cantonese, and Sichuan; creative osechi dishes prepared by chefs of renowned French and Italian restaurants; osechi dishes from top hotels; and mini-sized osechi dishes perfect for two or three people. The average price is around ¥35,000. This year, when choosing osechi dishes, more people are choosing dishes to share with their generations, especially during the New Year. Meanwhile, miniature osechi dishes for older and younger couples in Tokyo remain popular. In the average price range (around ¥30,000), noteworthy options include the Yamano Hotel (¥34,650), a full-scale resort on the shores of Lake Ashi in Hakone, and the Crowne Plaza Hiroshima Hotel (¥34,650), run by Contemporary Master Craftsman Shuji Sawamura as executive chef. Both are popular with families, offering a mix of Japanese, Western, and Chinese flavors. Additionally, the Chinese osechi dishes at Wakiya Ichiemi Charou (¥39,900), by Wakiya Tomoyuki, a leader in Japan's Chinese cuisine industry, are also selling well. Furthermore, more expensive osechi dishes, exceeding ¥100,000 in previous years, are also popular. Popular options include Ginza's Mutsukari (starting at 126,000 yen), packed in a six-tiered double-layered titanium box, as well as the famous Shiga restaurant Shofukuro (105,000 yen), beloved by the gourmet novelist Ikenami Shotaro, and Kyoto's Wakuden (157,500 yen), which has a 140-year history. Demand for expensive osechi dishes is particularly high among those spending New Year's at their vacation homes.