@melissaabroad, I dug up some old photos! I've seen a few in a neighborhood of Western Tokyo with a lot of agricultural fields but not really elsewhere in the city? They sell local produce and sometimes potted plants.
They're pretty low-tech "machines" and only take exact change. Sometimes the farmer will make change for you, sometimes they're far from the farm and you're on your own. Oh, also, it seems like the price is set per cubbyhole and can't be changed—if they want to sell a cabbage for ¥250, they put it in a ¥300 cubby with a ¥50 coin taped to it.
They have a calendar up listing what items they expect and when. When I've bought unusual vegetables there, they sometimes come with recipe ideas. The food prices are generally comparable to normal supermarket veggies, sometimes cheaper, but the quality is fresher or comparable to organic. The plant prices are usually cheap, and they generally do surprisingly well? At least the herbs have.
The disadvantage is that you can't really rely on them. Selection is limited and unpredictable, they tend to sell out early, and they pull down the shutters at 7pm. But idk, even when I end up missing out, their existence makes me happy! They were a good destination for my shitty pandemic walks in 2020. They will make you smile.
I am so proud of my running habit this year. I thought I would share some highlights from my running journey this year. Hopefully, it will also encourage you in your own fitness journey: be it yoga, walking, swimming, pilates or weights.
Summary
Total distance covered this year (up to Dec 28th, at the time of writing this post. Excludes walking/cycling): 326.6km
Average per month including…
The first seven days of the year are considered among the luckiest in Japan, so Shichifukujin Meguri (or the visit to the seven lucky gods) is really popular: this year I decided to visit the shrines and temples of Minato.
I’ve been attached to old things lately, probably because of what has been happening in the world for the past couple of years, but I also try to push myself to do new stuff,…