How to Deal with Tough Situations

As any good survival instructor will tell you, when you find yourself lost within an expansive network of underground tunnels, you should not panic. No, instead, you should stop, take a good look around, and, if available, buy yourself a sandwich.

Now, the problem with this kind of approach until now has been the lack of sandwich - this is Japan, after all. Stopping and looking around is fine, but it really isn't as good as having a snack.

However, this situation took a dramatic turn this morning, as I discovered...

... Vie de France ("Bi do Huransu"). With an authentic French flag on the sign, surely this had to be a little corner of Paris.

However, upon investigation, there were no baguettes. Clearly, this was a setback. But then I noticed a kimono-wearing lady buying bread inside, making an interesting photo. And...


...a table full of sandwiches! We're not taking about UK train-station-style half a pound of bread with some mayonnaise and a chicken-like material hiding in the middle. No, these are full-blown very appealing sandwiches, filled with the finest of nature's bounty, and wrapped with the loving care of a mother towards her children.

So what could a rational person do in a situation like this? There was only one choice, and that was one sandwich or two.

This is the wholegrain one with a load of cheese, ham, and potato salad inside. Understated and overdelivered - what did you expect?

And here was the very thin bread full of goodness sandwich. Includes chicken and stuff that goes well with chicken. Plenty of lettuce inside keeps the thing light and fresh.

And this, I am sure you'll agree, is very much like the market. If you're stuck in a corner, you need to stop, look around, and buy a sandwich. (That's figuratively).