Snacktime

The hospital's 24-hour mini-mart.

Lawson's is the 24-hour mini-mart in the hospital, where all of the residents go for their off-hours snacks and caffeine fixes. Believe it or not, it is a Japanese chain, despite it's English-sounding name. The most interesting purchase I have seen a resident make is a packaged hot dog bun filled with strawberry jam and whipped cream, eaten for breakfast. Stores here also offer a boggling array of caffeinated drinks that I have never seen before, most some combo of coffee and milk or tea. They aren't that into soda.

The caffeine aisle.

My first Lawson's purchase turned out to be one of my bests. Two different flavors of o'nigiri. O'nigiri may be one of the best food inventions ever! At its most basic, it is a ball of rice wrapped in dried seaweed - a perfect utensils-free and filling lunch. But usually, the rice is filled with something (these fillings are often a bit of a surprise for me each time since I can't read the wrappers). I prefer my o'nirigi filled with pickled seaweed or fish roe. Not a fan of the ones filled with canned tuna and mayo.

My first Lawson's purchase.

A delicious bite of o'nigiri.

My first goal when I return home is to learn how to make sticky rice to create my own o'nigiri.

My other favorite Lawson's meal is make-it-yourself noodle salad:

Pre-packaged salad, unopened.

Opens into three compartments - noodles, toppings, and dressing (creamy ginger).

Composed salad - o-mai (translation: yummy yummy).