My Trips to the Grocery Store (Zowie)

A sweet treat from Aeon Mall.

Over the past month in Akita, the place I have become a frequent visitor to is the grocery store. It is about a 15-minute bus ride from Akita International University and located in the basement of Aeon mall. Every Sunday without fail I head to Aeon around 9 am or 11 am. While a grocery store may seem like a lackluster place there are plenty of new foods to buy and samples to try (during the morning hours). Every week I feel like I find a new section of the store I’ve never seen before. The main reason is there is only a limited time before the next bus comes so I try to get in and get out as efficiently as possible, but every week I try to buy something I have never had before. For example last week, I discovered the section that sells pre-made goods like fried chicken, grilled pork on a stick, and seafood. It is similar to the deli section at Walmart that has pre-made food, but at Aeon, there is a larger variety of delicious food to choose from. As funny as it sounds, I was overjoyed and relieved that I could buy something to eat after returning to campus without having to cook first.

Like most stores, it has a separate alcohol, fruits, vegetables, meats, cereals, hygiene products, sweets, and pre-made goods sections. However, something that I don’t see in the United States is the gift section. They have sweets like cookies, cakes, that are packaged nicely and some have cute designs specific to Akita, like Namahage, which is a type of mythical creature that is like a demon, mountain ogre, or spirit.

These are Namahage (https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_of_Namahage_,_なまはげの像_-_panoramio_(1).jpg)

Aeon isn’t as big as large chain retailers in the United States, but it has everything I need and more. The workers who are giving out samples always have a smile on their face. There have been a few times when they tried to hold a conversation with me, but I only could pick up less than half of what they were saying. But we were still able to communicate through gestures. Also, I have noticed that I am used to hearing my professor speak clear concise Japanese but most of the students and locals speak fast and somewhat unclear.

Even though this is the place I have frequented the most I hope to find other places to go to over the next few months I am here. There are so many things I want to do, but transportation can be extremely inconvenient when trying to plan a trip off campus. But I am hopeful I can travel off campus more frequently on the coming months.