Only in Japan

Keeping in mind Nagoya is a city that is about the size of Chicago and I live right in the center of the city...  A couple of nights ago I walked over to a Japanese fast food place that serves cooked meats and vegetables over rice called gyudon or butadon. The restaurant name is Sukiya.

Sukiya's food is really good and really affordable, each plate is about $4.  The restaurant is a room that has a counter that jet's out into the center of the restaurant from the kitchen.  This evening only one person was working and he was busy in the kitchen and collecting cash as people left.  As I was eating I looked up from where I was sitting at the counter and noticed one of the cash registers was in a state of being turned off and some accounting stuff going on.  I also noticed the tray of coins next to the register, the coins along the right of the tray are $5 each (500 yen).

In total, there is over $100 USD of coins just sitting on the counter while the guy is busy doing everything but shutting down that register.  I was kind of shocked, if the same situation was to take place in Chicago or anywhere else in the world I don't think the coins would just be sitting there that long.

I thought leaving money on the counter was a once-and-a-while thing, but I visited Sukiya again for lunch and their it was, more unattended cash-money on the counter.   Mid-day though, it was a lot less, mostly 50 yen coins and maybe three 500 yen coins. 

 Since we are on the topic of only in Japan, here are a couple of other things.  At the Mini-stop near my apartment, they recently installed a laundry vending machine.  I don't really need to use this, I have a washing machine, but I think you put your clothes in their and a day later you pick up the clean clothes at the register.

 And Fast relax coffee brand from Sunkus connivance store. Generally, I like slow relax but sometimes their is no time to for that.  After some research, I'm calling Fast Relax the #1 drip coffee in Japan, #2 is Mon-Cafe.