The Final Caper

This year I started the column to not only convey my love of konbini [コンビニ] to the world (well okay, Hiroshima at least!), but also to prove to myself I had the discipline to write a regular feature. I’ve done that.

That’s why I’ve decided that next year I need a new challenge. I’m not yet sure exactly what that will be (I am starting to think there will be multiple ones though), but this will be the last installment of Crispy’s C(K)onbini Capers.

I’ve had a lot of fun tasting and reviewing products and was thrilled to be asked to be the special guest for the first Deep Hiroshima Salon talk show. I discovered that Japanese people are fascinated as to why I’m so interested in konbini and that foreigners were equally as interested in reading my columns.

Konbini really do mark the seasons and clearly show that time is passing throughout the year. Around time of writing, catalogues for Christmas and New Year can be poured over to decide what you want to eat for each occasion and just last week, new catalogues for Setsubun (the February 3 festival to cast out misfortune) appeared. The marketing strategies of konbini are fascinating and could easily inspire an anthropological thesis. In fact, that may just be my new project!

I still do appreciate konbini and, yes, I still do use them everyday, but I have noticed I’ve cut down a lot. Maybe it’s because I’ve reached a point where the novelty has worn off or maybe I’ve just become slightly more Japanese and less. Or maybe it’s Goto Izumi’s comment that she’s worried about my health and all that konbini food. Whatever the reason, I’m not as much of a ‘konbini junkie’ as I used to be.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity this year to introduce konbini and all their wonderful goodies. I encourage you next year to try a sample of the delicious, not so delicious and of course the seasonal and sometimes weird and wonderful foods that can be found at your local konbini.

ありがとうございました！さようなら！Thank you and goodbye… for now!