After fighting to learn Sorbet in order to release a type-safe version of Mocktail, it seems that my energy has rubbed off on my AI copilot a bit.

I mean, just look at this screenshot. I can confidently take a photo of a friend’s hand-written note, search for one Japanese word that I knew was written on it to find it, then select the text and paste it into a translation app, maps, etc.

In Japan, it's customary to use a coin locker at a train station to store your bags, so that you can spend time visiting a place without lugging all your stuff everywhere.

Unfortunately, this coin locker only takes five ¥100 coins (I've been spoiled by newer ones in Tokyo and Osaka that take IC cards like Suica) and I only had a single ¥100 coin on me.

So I went to a 7-Eleven to change a ¥1000 bill to coins and the attendant told me that they can no longer break change. So then I bought a bottle of tea in cash, but because these days you pay with cash using an automatic machine mounted in front of the register, it gave me back one ¥500 coin and three ¥100 coins. So I still only had four ¥100 coins when I needed five to use the locker.

So then I turned around and bought a donut with the ¥500 coin in order to break change again and this time I received three more ¥100 coins.

All so that I could pay ¥500 to use a coin locker… always an adventure!

Lots of good convenience store discoveries this week!

• A pizza sandwich filled with wieners and taco meat.
• Bread-flavored gummies.
• Fried and seasoned chicken skin, closely resembling the bottom of a KFC bucket
• A canned whiskey that comes pre-mixed with water.
• Individually-packaged cups of orange jelly housed in a larger cup
• Sparkling water that's been fortified with… a lot of fiber?
• Tangerine-flavored gummies designed to look like little popsicles
• Frozen chocolate banana chunks made with otherwise-wasted bananas

So much innovation!

Had a great half day in Kanazawa, even though it wound up being a bit of a speed run. Omicho fish market and Kenrokuen garden are both popular tourist spots, but I found the local restaurants and bars to be really exceptional, both in service and food quality. If you like fresh fish, you really must visit someday!

I'll never understand cultures that synchronize everyone's vacation time. Similar to August throughout Europe, most Japanese folks get Golden Week off in May. The upshot is that everywhere is crowded, hotels are expensive, and there's nothing to do because everything's closed.

The first 5 restaurants I'd picked out in Shinbashi were all closed. Presumably, because their Tabelog rankings were high enough to justify the lost revenue. Alas.

Since my study abroad in 2005, this marks the tenth time I've visited Japan. It's amazing how much technology has changed the experience of international travel. The convenience is undeniable, but it feels like I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the challenge of having to figure out how to survive with no Internet access.