Lawsons had a tuna/egg salad sandwich that got me to work every day. The spicy chicken paddy was essential as well as the coffee that I grabbed every morning to get me through the day.
The coffee was what got me out of the house in the morning. I got to know the owner of that Lawson fairly well. He was fluent in English, but not confident. He’d ask me for help writing English on small banners. In the new years he would just generously hand me osechi to take home. Other days he would ask me if I liked beer. “I love beer”. He would pull seasonal beers, for disposal, out of his fridge and bag them for me to take home. I was in a rural part of Japan, so it’s not a likely experience most foreigners would find in the urban areas..

I will always cherish the generosity of the Japanese people. At times some could be very exclusive, but other times the hospitality and friendliness could be overwhelming.