Well, here is a discombobulated post about a company that doesn’t exist, but actually does. And, even more, it does exist, but not where it should be. Welcome to the world of Lawson’s.
Now, to set the stage, let’s explain a little bit about how the whole post came along. We saw a video the other day, courtesy of the BBC (see below) where they highlighted how a place in Japan was riling up the locals due to the fact that so many visitors came to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji.
The image, (which you’ll also see on the video) shows a gaggle of visitors blocking a convenience store called Lawson’s, which obviously would be annoying to regulars: you can easily see why there is some consternation from the locals. Even worse, it became a bit of a “thing” on the web. Pesky teenagers and influencers swamped the local shops with cameras in hand and, thus, mayhem ensued, although in a rather mild way.
But, in another Orwellian twist of fate, as a youth, your editor lived in Ohio, USA and regularly stopped by a convenience store chain called …wait for it… Lawson’s. Whaaa? What are the chances of that, especially when Lawson’s went out of business in 2002? (For background, the company name of Lawson and its trademark white milk can against a blue background date back to 1939 in Ohio, the United States, where J. J. Lawson ran a dairy milk store.)
And, as far as we knew, it went out of business in North America and became an affiliate of the American food giant, Consolidated Foods. After some digging, this turned out to be true and Lawson’s actually is a popular chain in Asia, but not so much in Ohio, where it all began. It’s a small world after all. Watch the video below.
So, the next time you find yourself in Japan. Stop by Lawson’s and get a cold glass of orange juice.
It looks like seeking Mount Fuji is not a new phenomenon.
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