Farewell, old friend
Well, sagablog, it's been something like 8 months since my last post, but something happened to me today that I feel the need to talk about, and a high-traffic spot such as this seems ideal.I happened to be in Kumamoto on Saturday morning, after a night of not drinking and not acting stupid and not sleeping in the rest area of a sento. On the way back to Kumamoto station, I decided to head over to Tsutaya and pick myself up a copy of the new Zelda game for DS (having bought the DS under no peer pressure at all from the other members of a group whose name is not Ichiban).
Needless to say, I spent much of the remainder of the weekend not at all playing Zelda, and not at all finishing a good chunk of the game. And, of course, I didn't decide to go home and play during my lunch break today, because that would be silly.
On the way not back home, I stopped into the Daily Yamazaki on the north side of Saga station for my first "Daily Lunch" in quite some time. Barely had I put the side stand on my bicycle down when I noticed a sign in Japanese.
本店は今月、６月３０日をもちまして閉店させていただくことになりました。
Translation: don't come here after June 30th, cause you will be SOL.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo
Why the big fuss, you say. It's just another combini. There's one right down the street.
Just another combini? If Daily is just another combini, then Cocoa Puffs are just another kind of cereal, beer is just another kind of alcohol, hurricanes are just another kind of rainstorms, air is just another mixture of gases, LIFE ITSELF IS JUST ANOTHER STATE OF EXISTENCE.
No, friends, Daily is not just another combini. Daily is where I stumbled in one January night, bleeding profusely from my left hand (after a completely undrunk run-in with the sidewalk, I swear), and bought milk and cough drops.
Daily is where I stumbled in after falling off my bicycle completely undrunk to wash the cuts on my face.
Daily is an integral stop along the hallowed Trail of Beverages that do not include Beer.
Daily is where I bought flour and eggs at 1 in the morning to make okonomiyaki.
Daily is where I learned that Saga is the nanpa capital of central northern Kyushu, with people coming from all over the prefecture and even from Kurume and the Chikuho region of Fukuoka.
Daily is where I ended many a completely sober night, buying some snacks that I would find the next morning partially eaten.
In short, Daily was my life in Saga.
Daily Yamazaki, thanks for all the good times. Thanks for all the food. Thanks for being the best second-rate combini in Saga. But most of all, thanks for the memories.
I saulte you, Daily Yamazaki, and pledge that I shall never forget your existence for as long as I should live. Rest in Peace, good buddy ;(
PS: Daily-Y closes at 6:00 PM this Saturday. They are having a closing sale starting on the 28th and going through to the end. Feel free to stop in and pick up reduced price stuff, but hands off the beer. It's mine.
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