If you've ever explored the largest cities in Japan such as Tokyo, Osaka, or Kyoto, you'll know that convenience stores (or コンビニ "combini" as they're often called by locals) are a quintessential part of Japanese city life. You can always know that you have the option to get up at 2 AM and grab a snack or alcoholic beverage, and it gives the cities an "always moving" sense of buzzing energy.
However, the slow life of Ojika, a small island in the Goto archipelago off of Nagasaki, is relaxed and peaceful in comparison. You have the chance to go back in time to a period where big companies running thousands of 24/7 shops was not the norm. Here, family and community are everything in day-to-day life and the community of shops is just the same.
While convenience stores are not found on this island, you'll have no shortage of food. The island features various grocery stores, restaurants, a cafe, bakery with fresh bread, and a friendly spot to grab an ice cream or 肉まん "nikuman" steamed meat bun. The best part of all these shops is there is no aura of capitalism or big business anywhere to be found. On Ojika, you know that the money you're spending is going directly to a person with a family, and probably a few adorable children.
If you walk down the main road of Ojika you'll pass the tourist information center that also features a cafe. Here, you can inexpensively grab a coffee or Calpis, or a bowl of 牛乳丼 "gyuu-don," a bowl of rice topped with meat cooked in a delicious sauce. Right along the harbour there are also multiple grocery stores, where you can buy all your essential daily necessities and also a few treats as well!
If you're looking for a spot to sit and soak in some lovely vibes, then Cafe Tan Tan is exactly where you should head off to on Ojika. Tan Tan is a bakery and cafe where you can grab a coffee, tea, cookie, or cake and enjoy the adorable decor while reading a book.
There's also a small bakery on Ojika that bakes fresh bread daily. The one problem is that since this bakery is the only one of it's kind on Ojika island, the bread is in high demand! So, your best bet is to arrive early in the day in order to get your pick of all the various flavors. When I went there, I chose a cheese bread because it was fresh and steaming out of the oven, and the cheese was all stretchy and perfect. おいしい! ("Oishii," Delicious!)
A few days ago, I was lucky enough to score a delicious ice cream from the grocery store closest to the ferry terminal that was shaped like a sweet potato, and looked extremely realistic. The outer layer was made of a sweet potato flavoured ice cream cone shell, and the inside was mashed candied sweet potato with vanilla ice cream! I ate it right along the water next to the boats, as a fisherman readied his boat to head out in the afternoon.
Discovering various new flavours of ice cream and various snack foods is a fun adventure in Japan, you're sure to be surprised and try many new things even if you can't read what's on the package!
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