A Day in the Life

Travelling is not all glamorous hotels, sandy beaches, exotic night life and cultural revelations, the more mundane daily tasks like, well, survival, also have to be tended to...with this in mind I headed off to my local supermarket to get my breakfast supplies, banana`s and yoghurt, cereal is not common and is restricted to things like froot loops and equally sugary variants, and at the asking price they are not an option, at all.

So I headed into the arcade, mindful of the ubiquitous bicycles..







these old ladies with umbrella`s are not the most dangerous, that honour lies with young girls sending or reading text messages..by the way, I`ve learned, after asking the police, that it`s actually not illegal to ride on the footpath, it`s just being discussed, so I`m learning to live with it, reluctantly!

So I survived the walk and headed in..



past the bike park..



into the store..









I head for the fruit and vegies as banana`s are my first priority..













Now I work on an exchange rate of 80yen to $1 but if we use the price of banana`s as an example (98yen) that equates to about $1.30 for 6 small banana`s, not bad, but, in other stores that`s each! Now I could be a victim of the old double pricing which is prevalent in some countries, (Thailand, I`m looking at you) but it seems unlikely, whatever, more than once I`ve had to slink back and replace the banana`s I had previously chosen when they had suddenly become a luxury I could not afford..

Like these..







Now the meat and fish..





















A solid range of pre-prepared meals and "snacks"..











tea, very popular here..



mostly dairy..



and the all important beer..





Of course there are the multitude of every day items that we have come to know and love..

















































Yes, all your old favourites there!

This is what one is confronted with when shopping in Japan supermarkets, there are very few items described in English, and those that are are generally overpriced.

More goods, bakery..







and a small selection of liquor..



the bulk section..



and front of store..



notice my favourite cashier hiding her face?

She is actually very shy..



but also very sweet and does her best to talk to me in English

So that`s a trip to the supermarket, quite humbling really, given that without the ability to understand in this environment one is reduced to the role of spectator, but still very interesting to see..

Now who is cooking dinner?