Every weekday morning I wake up around 5:50. Take a shower. Read the headlines online. Check my email. Then I venture out the door at 6:45 to make my way to work. I don't really like to eat at home, feels like I am taking away from my time to wake up (if that makes sense). So on my ride to work I sometimes stop here. The Mini Stop.


It's a very new building, built maybe three months ago. Surrounded by fields for growing cabbage and green onions and a Radisson. Going into the store, the florescent lights and J-pop music lures me to cold beverages. At such an early hour, the store is sometimes filled with sleepy eyed truck drivers, construction workers and salary men stocking up on cans of coffee, cigarettes and rice balls. I stick with my favorite: a ham and cheese bun. Something about this baked good just makes me happy. I couldn't tell you what type of cheese it is; cheese here is an enigma. When I go to the store to buy groceries, my usual choices are between: pizza cheese and toast cheese. Sometimes there is a blend, but not clearly telling me what types of cheese are involved. Probably a blend of pizza and toast I guess. Anyways, the bun is coated with flour. The sensation of the flour and the soft bread with ham and cheese is wonderful. Coating my shirt and face. Oh sweet ham and cheese bun. You win every time.

So I have a bunch of pictures of gumball machines I need to post. These are from my time in Kumamoto. The machines posted here are very typical of machines throughout Japan today. This particular grouping of machines was in front of a new and used video game/DVD/ manga shop .


It's Ultraman! And the baddies from the beloved series. For ¥200, almost two dollars, the price seems a lil steep.


Thomas the Train? In Japanese it sounds more like Toe-masu. The toys in this machine are Thomas the Train....wait for it....mini gumball machines! Gumball machines that sell gumball machines. Who would have thunk it? Only in Japan I guess.


Go! Go! Frog Mobile! Frog Style Frog Mobile! Frog Style is a fairly popular brand of toys here in Japan. They make lots of lil charms for cell phones and bags. Apparently Frog Mobile is the vehicle series. With catch phrases like "I love surfing!", "I am No. 1!!" and "Where do you want to go?" you just can't go wrong.

I don't know who these characters are. I haven't seen them prior to this. It kinda looks like there are lil toilets. Maybe toilet charms? Yes, the Japanese love toilets and poop. Don't ask.