Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

The convenience store, a 24-hour retail operation that many Japanese (and foreign residents) depend on for the need for a late-night quick meal or emergency provisions of consumables like shampoo and toothpaste, is often a microcosm of the entire Japanese retail environment. Due to their limited space and relatively high prices for goods sold (compared to supermarkets that do not operate 24 hours a day), convenience stores must constantly adjust products on the shelf to reflect what the local consumers really need that they would pay a premium for those items at the oddest hours of the day.

There is plenty of oddities about getting a job in Japan. For new graduates, the most notable is the mass hiring of new graduates that are not tied to specific positions. A month or two of group training that gets the newbies excited about the company is followed by assignments to different departments that are made without consideration for what the new employees want to do themselves. In the olden days, the first assignment will be followed by new assignments that also align more with the interests of the company's needs at the moment, rather than the employee's desire for a certain career.

In the many online event listings for what to do in Tokyo, the current few weeks are being almost fully occupied by various "beer gardens" being held in notable venues across the metropolis. Invariably consisting of some combination of alcohol, outdoors, and sometimes BBQ to go along with the drinks, these summer outings promise attendees a good time while cooling down with friends in an oh-so-hip environment specially designed for those Instagram-worthy selfies. With beer, meat, and photogenic atmosphere, these events seem to promise a good time for everyone from college kids to middle-aged salarymen.

One of what many social scientists consider to be a growing problem of modern economies is the spread of precarious work through the "gig economy." An increasing number of people are working as full-time freelancers, such as drivers for Uber and project-based consultants, through contracts that do not guarantee them fixed monthly salaries and employee benefits like insurance available to full-time staff. With incomes seasonally volatile and subject to changes at any time, such freelancers are rightly protesting their fates as expendable laborers with little leverage over their employers.

When a restaurant receives one or more stars from the Michelin guide (or even just an honorary mention), it is justifiably proud. The restaurant has just earned worldwide recognition from one of the most famous guides for gourmets, giving it the ability to attract a large number of customers from around the world. The status of being listed in the Michelin is not only a sign that the food made in the restaurant is delicious at a world-beating level, but that the uniquely culturally bound service and atmosphere the restaurant provides can be considered universally positive.

The venue of the wedding ceremony probably typifies what constitutes a successful case of urban gentrification. The concrete, greyish former factory building hosted a modern ceremony hall, full of flower-filled waiting rooms and dining halls awaiting the entrance of tuxedoed guests and the happy newlyweds. At first sight, it would be difficult to believe that the vegetation-inundated venue is located smack in the middle of Shibuya, one of metropolitan Tokyo's most heavily trafficked, densely built urban jungles. The contrast between the inside and the outside is just too surreal.

The Nanjing Funeral Homes feels more like a bustling event space than a solemn location to say the last goodbyes to one's loved ones. Located in the confines of a tree-filled park in the southern fringes of the city, the city's government-run institution for funerals combine last rites, cremation, and burial services under one roof in several grandiose monumental buildings. But despite the massive size of the institution, demand far outstrips demand. At 7am on a Thursday, grieving family members and friends are lining up just to get their few minutes of seeing the washed bodies of the deceased for one last time.