Chapter 169. [Hypermarket]

<<Is this really Walmarket!?>>

I gazed up at the store in astonishment.

No, seriously, it was so huge that I naturally looked up.

<<The ceiling is so high! And it’s so wide you can’t even see the opposite wall!>>

<<It’s amazing, right?>>

<<I heard about it, but it’s even more than I imagined.>>

In a nutshell, Walmarket was a huge supermarket.

However, its scale was so different that it looked like a completely different entity.

I think it’s the company with the highest sales in the world.

Would it be easier to understand if I said it sells more than AWAZON?

<<Hey, Iroha. Don’t just stand there forever; let’s go.>>

<<Yeah.>>

Angu Ogu pushed the shopping cart ahead.

I followed her, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

<<For today, I’ll buy groceries, and maybe some slippers and soap. Should we also check out transformers in case?>>

<<I might want one. I think it should be fine, but I’m afraid of accidents. I want to use it as a backup for my computer. But do they even sell those?>>

<<I don’t know. But if it’s Walmarkets, they probably do.>>

<<Mysterious confidence. But I get it.>>

With this much space, they probably have everything.

Just walking around like this, there were so many different products.

<<For now, let’s start with the grocery section.>>

<<Oh, yeah. It’s American the way they display things.>>

<<There might also be a difference in packaging.>>

As I entered the aisle, I saw piles of fruits and vegetables.

Now that she mentioned it, all the groceries here seemed to be sold loose.

In Japan, many items are often bundled together and packed in bags, but in America, it’s sold separately or by weight.

<<Japan wraps everything, and it’s so neat and cute. I really like it. But I also think it’s not very environmentally friendly.>>

<<I’ve never really thought about it.>>

<<Yeah, like snacks too. There are bags inside bags, and it makes you wonder what’s so precious inside.>>

<<Haha, true.>>

Not too long ago, they started charging for plastic bags in Japan, among other environmental efforts.

Whether it had been effective was another question, but at least it had raised awareness.

But I had never thought about individual packaging like this.

<<Oh, apples. Can I buy a few? I don’t think they sell these in Japan.>>

<<Americans eat a lot of apples, don’t they? They’re often in movies and stuff. But seriously, these are so tiny!>>

The apples Angu Ogu picked up were so small that they fit in her small hand, not princess apples, just small apples.

<<And they’re really cheap. I always thought America was expensive.>>

<<Actually, Japanese fruit is too expensive. In America, you can probably buy a whole basket for the same price.>>

While saying that, Angu Ogu picked out some good-looking apples.

Indeed, in Japan, fruits are more like a special dessert. The apples were placed directly in the cart.

Come to think of it, it’s different from Japan in that there are no shopping baskets here.

<<But coming back to America like this, I realized something. Japan is unbeatable in terms of quality and service.>>

<<Really? It’s cheap, has a wide selection, isn’t that good?>>

<<Look here. This and this!>>

As Angu Ogu said that, she pointed to the bruised apples mixed in and the dirt scattered on the ground.

It was certainly a bit messy.

<<I used to not care about this when I lived in America, but after living in Japan, I’ve become so nitpicky.>>

<<They call it reverse culture shock, right? By the way, Ogu, are you an expert on Japanese supermarkets?>>

<<Do you seriously think that when I was in Japan, I only went to convenience stores? I did use other stores at first, you know!>>

<<…Really?>>

<<Stop giving me that skeptical look! Come on, let’s go to the next aisle!>>

Angu Ogu made a rattling noise and pushed the shopping cart forward, seemingly offended.

Next to the fruits were vegetables, and their prices were similar to those in Japan.

<<Vegetables are reasonably priced here. But isn’t cabbage unusually expensive?>>

<<It’s sold by weight, after all. Heavy items tend to be more expensive.>>

<<But I might just skip the vegetables and go with fruits.>>

Angu Ogu said, ‘You’re sharp’, and laughed.

I felt like I understood why Americans don’t eat vegetables as much.

<<So this is the meat section, huh? And the meat is huge!>>

Moreover, there were no sizes that seemed manageable for just the two of us. Also, I didn’t see thinly sliced meat or marbled meat like in Japan.

<<That’s why I think Japanese yakiniku is the best!>>

<<I see.>>

I wondered why bother with meat when you could find a dish just grilling it anywhere.

So this was the reason.

And Angu Ogu also enjoyed dishes like shabu-shabu.

Having looked around all the ingredients, I suddenly had an idea.

<<Hmm, how about cooking?>>

<<What’s up, Iroha?>>

<<Hey, Ogu, you mentioned earlier that you can cook, right? How about a cooking showdown?>>

<<Huh?>>

It’s unusual for me to suggest something like this, but I had my reasons.

And so, the spark of our battle was ignited.