History's Layers Here

Niihama really pleasantly surprises me sometimes. Out cycling the neighborhoods behind the station, tucked in behind this

and this

I came across something at first glance radically different.

But thinking about principles — clean, straight lines without unnecessary ornamentation — perhaps it wasn't so out of character after all.

Above is a view from the front. Notice the tasteful orange noren partially screening the interior courtyard.

The lights and electric outlets and mail slots are small and unobtrusive. And I love the fact that the building is sitting in the middle of nowhere surrounded by fields.

Egg Station

Vending machines are ubiquitous in Japan. Mostly they dispense hot and cold beverages (including beer), or cigarettes, but there are also quite a few that will plop out a five or ten kilogram bag of rice for you in a carry-away plastic bag.

My favorite, however, are the egg vending machines — which I had never seen before coming to this part of the country. Most of them are simple, brightly painted affairs (example here) in which you insert coins, open door, and get bag of eggs.

My latest find was out on the edge of the city near the coast.

Sasaki Eggs

 The stylized kanji on the noren, 卵, reads "egg."

How could you not feel confident buying from such a clean, well-tended place?

Triangles and Squares

House, Niihama — Japan