The Big 40 in Japan - Day 6: The Anti-Midlife Crisis
August 2, 2026
I was sort of dreading today. I wasn’t losing sleep and only thought about it sparingly. But as I crept closer to August 2, 2026, I knew I’d be switching over to a new decade. Some will say it’s just a number; others will say it’s no big deal. For me, it felt far more consequential than 30. I had hit the midpoint. The number where I couldn’t make the argument that I’m young anymore (even though that likely was a while ago), and that I’m starting the back half. I just wanted it over with and to move on. And so for most of today, I didn’t think about it, or at least tried not to!
After calling Elle on FaceTime, we met Jake for breakfast, his final one here in Tokyo. I have to say, with each visit, their breakfast grows on me. They make a beautiful omelet, and their breakfast offerings are all quite good. After breakfast, we made our way to the spa, where the three of us would each have a one-hour massage. After filling out the waiver forms, Jake and I had a little less than an hour to enjoy their stunning facilities. We enjoyed the insanely hot sauna, steam room, and various jacuzzis. From there, we went to the relaxation room and later were escorted to our massage rooms. Jake upgraded his experience to a massage room with a view and an additional tea afterward. We all loved our massages; Jenn, a bit too much, decided to add on some additional treatments when her masseuse said she needed it.
Jake only had an hour before he needed to head to the airport, so we grabbed the last remaining table during the Mandarin Oriental’s tea service. I went with their breakfast martini, and both Jenn and Jake had their tea. For lunch, Jake had the crispy rice, Jenn had pasta, and I had a shrimp Caesar salad. The place was packed, but I’m glad we were able to have lunch together. We said goodbye to Jake, who headed to his room right after lunch, grabbed his bag, and was off to the airport. Fortunately, he had no issues and was back home after the eleven-hour flight.
Jenn and I made our way out after lunch and headed to the Artizon Museum, a modern art museum a ten-minute walk from our hotel. The museum was divided into three floors, with the main exhibit at the time focusing on the eccentric work of Ettore Sottsass. This is the perfect size museum, and we had a great time. We spent about twenty minutes on each floor before moving on. Each floor had unique works, and we really liked a lot of them. We grabbed a nice museum book on the way out and did a little light shopping on the way back to our hotel.
When we got back, we started packing up and getting ready for my first of two birthday dinners. After much debate, we landed on Esquisse, a two-Michelin-starred French restaurant. There are so many starred restaurants in Tokyo that it can be overwhelming to decide where to eat. I landed on this one because I love French food, it got amazing reviews, and it was open on a Sunday, which was rare. We were the first to arrive at the restaurant (even though we were fifteen minutes late) and got a table at the window. I don’t usually do it, but given it was my 40th, I went with their wine pairings, which were a mix of European and Japanese wines.
I don’t want to sound too pretentious (likely too late), but I loved the opening note they left at our table to start the meal. “As time goes by, I find myself drawn more and more toward purity and simplicity, toward a cuisine that does not seek to invent, but to reveal… It is about making the invisible audible, the essential perceptible, and the living once again tangible.” There was something incredibly simplistic about most of their courses, but with each one you got an incredible piece of food. Maybe it's because it was my birthday, or maybe it was the 8 glasses of wine, but I really loved this meal. It was the first time since before Elle that I can remember us not rushing dinner, not constantly checking our phones for work, but spending 2-3 hours on amazing food, great wine, and the best company. Was it the best meal I’ve ever had? No, but was it one I’m glad I had to bring into the new decade? Absolutely.
