Starbucks is very popular in Japan. I even think it’s more popular here than it is back home.
Other JETs think I’m nuts for saying this. “There’s a Starbucks practically every block in Nagoya,” I say.
“There’s a Starbucks every ten feet back home,” the other JETs respond.
But I think the difference is that a lot of these other JETs are from the West Coast. In Grand Rapids Michigan things are a bit different. Before I came to Japan, I only saw the inside of a Starbucks once. (I don’t know if things have changed over the five years I’ve been in Japan or not.)
As a nominal anarchist, I know I’m supposed to hate Starbucks, but I can’t remember why. It’s a big corporation, but everyplace is owned by a big corporation these days. And they have fair trade coffee, so they can’t be that bad, right?
Perhaps someone could educate me on this point. In the meantime, I have been spending a lot of time at my local Starbucks (as I’ve written before). It’s a popular hangout for other foreigners, and so it is a great place to just pop in without plans and meet someone I know. Kind of like a local bar I guess, only the coffee shop version.
Last Saturday my friend Adam invited me to a “coffee tasting” event at Starbucks. “The staff told me to invite some friends,” he said.
So, Saturday morning I went. It was a bit bizarre and I’m still not exactly sure what was going on. It was Saturday afternoon, so the place was packed with normal customers, but at one of the long tables Adam and I and a few other people had a private little party with some of the Starbucks staff, where we were served free coffee and sweetbread. Why just the few of us were subject to this special treatment I have no idea.
But it was a good time. The Starbucks staff were all roughly the same age as us (in their 20s) and although I knew them on sight, I had never had the opportunity to talk to them before. They were dressed up in Santa uniforms (Japan, for whatever reason, seems to be big on making people wear uniforms that take away their dignity). And we started the party by going around and saying which Starbucks drink we like best.
But other than that they were all intelligent people and I enjoyed getting to know them better. For instance it turns out one of the staff shares my interest in the Revolutions of 1848. Another one was studying veterinary science at the local University. Since I often go to this Starbucks, I was glad for the opportunity to get to know the staff better.
Unfortunately however, our local branch is shutting down at the end of this month to make room for road construction. That will be the sad end of an era here. I’ll survive I’m sure. I survived when the old Usa hang out, Tropicoco, moved into Nakatsu.
But don’t tell anyone I’m sorry to see the Starbucks go, or I’ll never be able to show my face in progressive circles again.
Link of the Day
Obviously the NSA scandel doesn't need any more help in plubicity from me. We've past the outrage overload with Bush a long time ago, so I'm really at a loss for words on this one. Fortunately not everyone else is. Phil has a few thoughts. Media Mouse has a good post. But I find myself most agreeing with Dan Luke:
For those keeping score at home
secret prisons + torture + domestic spying + lying about it != impeachment
committing perjury (while trying to cover up an extramarital affair) == impeachment
If this isn't grounds for impeachment, I don't know what is.
Grounds for Impeachment consist of having consenual sex with a staff member.
ReplyDeleteOh please. Grounds for impeachment is lying to a judge under oath, or breaking the law. President Bush has not in fact broken any laws.
ReplyDeleteUmmm...isn't there a law against spying on American citizens?
ReplyDeleteHow about a law against insider trading, or going AWOL from the National Guard, or doing cocaine, or statutory rape?
Star bucks. Well, I was never much of a fan of theirs, not only because they're corporate monsters, but also because I just am not keen on their coffee. I have tasted much better coffee than at Star Bucks, and I'm angered by the way they dominate the U.S and apparently even more so in Japan leaving the rest in the dust.
ReplyDeleteI like having different kinds of of coffee shops around, and I'm particuarlly keen on the small artsy types that know you by name. I should know, I've spent a lot of time at a particular one in my area and I got to know quite a few people there, all quite different from each other. Around here at least, I haven't found that at a Star Bucks. At least in my town, (I can't quite speak for anywhere else) the ones that go to Star Bucks are the rich aristocratic stuck up people that I cannot stand. They poo poo on those who are different and unique and it's just ludicris.
Not to mention the Star Bucks out west that sued a woman for having a "simular name" even when it wasn't. That's what has driven me never to go to one again. But yeah, sorry...
I'm not saying it's horrible that you enjoy Star Bucks, it's not. The main reason I don't go there is because I don't like their coffee, and it seems that you do, and that's a good reason to drink coffee, I'd say.
On the Bush part, I'm not quite sure he's broken any laws--as I've heard that Bush was told that the "spying" was legal, and he only did to spy on terrorists, not the little people like us. However, I will admit that it makes me nervous in a "1984" kind of way. I keep thinking that this is how it all begins. I'm sure we'll stop that anyway since our "enemies" now know of it anyway. Other than that, I don't think he's done anything impeachment worthy, unless we can impeach him for being an ignorant and disagreeable arsehole. :)