Yesterday I rode my bicycle over the river to the south part of Fukushima City. I was headed to a coffee shop that also was a bit of an art gallery. I wanted to check it out!

Alas! While this coffee shop was surely charming in its heyday…it has gone out of business.

I found that to be sad.

The building was getting run-down…

…surrounded by lovely–but overgrown–vegetation.

I thought the plant in the photo was especially interesting.

I ended up getting a canned coffee from the vending machines right next to the former coffee shop.

The sign says: Don’t toss your litter on the ground. Keep your town beautiful.

I know that Japanese vending machines are famous in other countries. People have heard about them through the internet.

Yeah, lots of coffee. I chose the red Wonda.

100 yen for a can of coffee is super duper cheap for a vending machine. (Vending machine prices are higher than the prices in a regular grocery store.)

Mountain Dew! I never see that in Japan. Somebody tell my brother he can visit Japan—they’ve got Mountain Dew here, so he’ll be fine.

And now….do y’all know what’s in the photo above?

This is a vending machine that sells vegetables and fruit. (I’ve also seen eggs.)

A flower shop might have a fresh flower vending machine.

You’ll see these sorts of vending machines more out in the rural areas where the farmers live.

A field was next to the vending machines. This is a quiet neighborhood with houses (it’s not the true countryside,) but Japan tucks fields into available spaces. I’m guessing a farmer owns this patch of land and is still farming it.

Me and my coffee

Despite being disappointed that the charming coffee shop had gone out of business, it turned out to be a lovely day.