Portmanteaus!

 When you combine two words, you've got a portmanteau, and Japanese have a real right-brain approach to English expressions. If they want to be precise, they'll use Japanese. If they want to give an impression, they'll use English. 

Sure, when you want to combine "fresh" and "precious" for your drinking water system, just make up a new word. Why not? 

This one isn't readable in English, but uses English. The script at the top says "Nihon (Japan) Logitem" for Logistics+System

American...or Japanese?

There are over 1,300 Mister Donut shops in Japan. This is the one and only shop remaining in the US, in Godfrey, Illinois. The backstory is that when Mister Donut was purchased by Dunkin Donuts, franchisees were offered the opportunity to rebrand their stores. This well-known "American" shop in Japan is virtually unknown in America now. 

Recently, ToyrRUs re-entered the US market with a flagship store in the American Dream mall in New Jersey, where the chain had started decades before. Meanwhile, there are 80 ToysRUs stores all across Japan. 

Tullys Coffee started in Seattle, as Starbucks was growing rapidly. While Tullys roasts and sells coffee in the US under its brand (owned now by Keurig) the stores in the US have all closed. There are over 600 Tully's coffee shops in Japan, giving Starbucks some competition here. 

Vie de France started in the US, and has a major business selling frozen baked products there, but its bakeries in the US total a mere 4, all in Maryland and DC. Yamazaki Bakeries of Japan bought the chain, and grew the chain in Japan to 263 stores nationwide. 

The franchisee became the franchiser! Ito Yokado is the franchisee for all of Japan for the 7/11 brand, and after prospering with the brand, it purchased Southland Corporation, the owner of the brand and franchiser worldwide. The very first 7-11 store in Japan opened not far from our apartment. 

 

Our Neighbourhood, On the World Stage!

I would suggest that no city and no country has benefited from hosting the Olympics to the degree that Tokyo and Japan did in 1964. It was just as television was proliferating, and showed the world a modern Japan, no doubt influencing people's opinions when it came time to purchase Japanese-made products. 

This year's Olympics could easily be the least beneficial of all Olympics, but despite empty seats, they're going on. As you watch this video, the archery and aquatic venues (3:45-3:53) are a few hundred meters south of our apartment. 

 

Bullet Train Bentos Right In Our Neighbourhood

We used to look at this building from our previous apartment here in Shiohama. One of our families lives right across the road from this place! 
 

Have You Ever Seen a COVID Store?

This whole store sells only masks (and maybe some hand sanitizer, too) Masks in any style and price point to suit the discerning consumer! 

 

The High Cost of Housing

The turtles have had to double up because of high rent in our part ot Tokyo!

In our area, there are many parks located along streams that were once canals. The whole area was swampland in the Middle Ages and channels were dug as land was reclaimed. The canals were used for transporting heavy and bulky loads, so our area was once heavily industrial and has rapidly become residential as factories and warehouses moved out. 

 

Our Neighbourhood Yaoya!

 Two 2 ton trucks go to the food terminal in Tokyo early in the morning and get good deals on whatever they can get cheap, and then haul it all back to our neighbourhood. They set up this place and open at 1:30pm, and the locals come shopping. No guarantee they'll have green peppers or anything else you might be looking for in stock today. But, whatever they have is a real deal. The guy in the middle of the picture talks non-stop all day, welcoming people and shouting out the deals they have. A little of the old Japan persists, even in the midst of the big city with all the chain stores.