The K Experience

The Daily, My Daily. The Daily Yamazaki was the only convenience store (コンビニ), anywhere near my school in Japan. It was a five minute walk, or a two minute bike ride from the school, 二上工業高校 (Futagami Technical High School) I taught in during JET . It was a refuge in the middle of nowhere, and one of the most beautiful sites around.

I remember sitting outside on the bench in from the the Daily during lunch time, when I wasnt eating in the school refectory. I would sit and read and enjoy not being stared at by the school students, or the teachers. I don't blame them to be honest. I was the only black guy in the town, or at least the only one they had ever seen in person. It was nice getting away from it all just to sit and watch the beautiful rice fields.

The school was situated next to a mountain with two peaks, hence the name Futagami (二上) meaning two peaks. It was pretty much in the middle of nowher, so the Daily didn't have that many customers, which meant that I could relax. In the picture the rice was pretty much ready to be harvested, but sitting there quite often during the year, I got to see the different stages. From the planting, to the flooding of the fields, to the little rice plants shooting out of the water, to this.

Rice fields were all over the place in Takaoka. Some would have little frogs living in them. I'm sure lots of other things would live in them too. There were rumours that people would often piss in them. I wouldn't be surprised to be honest. Being next to a high school, I could only dream of the things that my kids would put in there. Hopefully nature would have flitered all that out when making the rice, but you never know.

You could buy the most interesting things in the daily, and other stores like it. I remember the bread and cakes that you could get, like Ampan (bread role with sweat bean paste inside). You could get lemon bread and stuff too. The usual bento boxes is what I would go for.

Rice, usually with 梅干し (Umeboshi) which this bento is lacking, some meat or fish,and some veg. Mmmm.

You can't get them anywhere else, not to my knowledge anyway, and not at a decent price. The memories are nice though. Sitting outside the Daily, watching the world go by, not wanting to go back to school...

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