Last summer, I stayed with my friend in Japan for five weeks. She is teaching English there with the JET program, and is completing her second year right now. Reading this article made me miss it terribly: http://www.tokyopop.com/385.html?page=2

We stayed in Dazaifu, in the prefecture of Fukuoka, on the northern tip of the southern island of Kyushu. Of course my plane landed in Tokyo, so we stayed a few days there and did Harajuku, Tokyo Tower, Akihabara (not enough time!), Shibuya briefly, Ueno Park, and a ton of temples. We even got all gothed up and pretty for Harajuku on the Sunday, and got photographed, probably because these two redheaded gaijin were a rare (read: odd) sight. We left our little hostel in Asakusa (which is beautiful, by the way) and flew down to Fukuoka.

There are many things there that I miss, besides my dear best friend. One is most definitely the vending machines that dispense everything from hot coffee (or iced in the summer), to underwear and , erm, other related goods. I had a can of coffee every morning when I left the house. There are so many different varieties to choose from, all different levels of sugar and/or milk to suit your taste, as the coffee itself went from mild to bold. After a while, I found one I loved: Depresso. Yep, it sounds like something for the emo coffee drinker, right? In Japan, they like to even shorten names. It's actually Deep-Roasted Espresso (shortened, Depresso, get it?), and is black as night, sweet as sin. Awesome shot of caffeine on the morning run to the train. I also miss my Fanta Melon Cream Soda. Lovely Vega sent me two cans in a care package, and I literally squealed and hugged them. My mother thought I'd lost it. Seriously, that's how much I missed the stuff.

The convenience stores in Japan are actually convenient. Between the 7/11s (no slurpees here), the AM/PMs, the Lawson's and the Family Marts, there's so much selection it's almost overwhelming. You can buy a whole meal that is both nutritious and delicious. At a combini (the Japanese way of saying the convenience store), you can pay your electricity bill while buying tickets to the movies, or the opera, or for a plane ride. There's also the added convenience of being able to buy alcohol in many forms there (for those over 21, of course). Many are open 24 hours, not just in the larger cities. It has everything you could possibly need very quickly, and then some. My favourite find there were facial wipes that not only cleaned away sweat and makeup, but had an SPF 15 added. If I was in serious trouble and had managed to lose my luggage, I could pop in and buy some underwear and socks, and any toiletries I might need. And if you're really stuck for entertainment, you can get a movie, a CD, or a video game. For food, besides whole packaged meals with rice or noodles and some form of meat and veggies in a bento, there are sandwiches, fresh pastries, hot fried foods, onigiri and rice rolls, sushi, and of course snacks.

I do miss the convenience of walking over to the local Family Mart and picking up absolutely everything I could need for an evening with friends, including some "refreshments" to imbibe. And, should some sort of bizarre emergency happen that the combini was closed (and it would have to be rather drastic), I could just as easily get my supper from the row of vending machines nearby, including my beer. Sigh.

Coming Attractions - Part the Second:  the food!