Paddler With No Water: Mid-August Report

A new Starbucks coffee shop opened up in Yonezawa recently. Don't remember exactly when. Perhaps it was the end of July or the first Monday of August. I first set foot in the shop on August 6th after navigating the seemingly oddball parking lot.

The essence of the store's parking lot design derives from the store's main focus; it essentially is a drive through coffee shop with a seating area attached to it. Yes, there is room inside for a fair number of patrons, perhaps 30 altogether. But the location of the drive through order pick-up window is in a location designed to maximize the length of the drive through lane without completely marring the aesthetics of the store's road facing facade.

When I approached the store in my car on my first visit I first passed the drive through entrance and started to make a left turn into what I suddenly noticed was an exit out of the parking lot. A security guard/traffic guide waved his baton at me as I realized my mistake and I quickly pulled back onto the main road and then made a left at the next immediate corner. I drove to what I thought was the rear entrance for vehicles...and found out it was another exit. So I carried on a bit further and found there was no other entrance into the store's parking lot. I made another left turn, drove up a small side road, made a left back onto the main road; and then entered the parking lot via the lane intended for customers who wish to park their cars and walk into the store.

So the gist of the parking lot is this: if there is a long lineup of cars for the drive through window, and that line up backs onto the main road, the line up will block the entrance then to the lane that leads to the parking spots because its location is to the left of the drive through entrance lane. Brilliant, as my Brit friends would say.

Nonetheless, in spite of my parking lot adventure, I was able to enjoy a coffee and a slice of matcha pound cake...

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I know back home people have a few words when stores put up displays for holidays way too soon for their liking. Christmas displays popping up the day after Halloween fit that bill. One doesn't notice the too early displays for Japanese holidays because, well, that's just the way things are. Typically the displays are a few signs saying something to the effect of "Now is the time to put in your order for (your special holiday or seasonal food goes here)". The displays for the imported holidays, Valentine's Day, Halloween, and Christmas are much more prominent. After all, those days are about propping up the economy and getting people to buy more stuff aren't they? Of course I wrote that tongue planted firmly in cheek...though it probably is quite close to the truth of the matter here in Japan.

Having said that, I made sure I got a photo of what greeted me as I went shopping for an album to store my growing collection of telephone cards. Yes, it's Obon and there's a Halloween goods display in a local department store...