Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Trust in Japan


This snack stand is a familiar sight to anyone who has been around the Asunal area in Kanayama. Located in a hallway near the JR and Meitetsu main entrances, this spot sees a decent amount of foot traffic all hours of the day. This photo was taken at about 9:30 pm on a Tuesday night, when there are still many people hustling around, and the hallway is open to allow people to cut through the building a little faster. The shop is quite obviously closed...but is it? Really? Because everything is pretty much still exposed, and in my book that's either because it's open for business, or you don't mind getting your stuff stolen. But not here. Oh, it's closed all right, and it's only my paranoid, suspicious American mind that can't wrap itself around this idea. It isn't an issue. No one touches any of the soyjoys, cookies, drinks or potato chip bags that are so tantalizingly unsupervised and would pretty much scream "TAKE ME!!" to most of the people I know back home. But, no one bats an eye. They just keep walking. Props yet again, Japan.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Lemon Soda Kit Kat

There is a lemony soda that is popular in Japan called Ramu Rei that Nestle has chosen to make into a Kit Kat. It didn't turn out too bad, but it's not one of my favorites. Check out the video:

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Sashimi Sampler


I love free samples. And I wholeheartedly think anyone who says they don't is a filthy liar. Wandering through a high-end grocery store last week I came across this tuna sashimi sampler table, and for once, the first thing that came to mind wasn't to immediately snatch some. Instead, I marveled at how this exact same scenario would have been seen as an atrocity back in the States. People would think (or shout, which are often one in the same for some Americans) "Raw fish? I don't care how free it is, I'm not touching it." Their loss, more for me.