Do you know Japan's treasure, A-Z?

There is an incredible place in Akune City, Kagoshima Prefecture.

"A-Z Akune".

Just hearing the name, it sounds like some kind of alphabet teaching material, but it's not.
It's a supermarket.

No, the word 'supermarket' doesn't do it justice. It is, by now, 'life' itself.

First of all, it's open 24 hours a day.

24 hours. Twenty-four hours.

It's not a convenience store. And with that massive floor space. Are they sane?

If you think 'Oh, I'm out of soy sauce' at 3:00 AM, it's fine.
If you suddenly decide at 5:00 AM, 'I'm going to have a barbecue today,' it's fine.
A-Z is open regardless. It's always open.

And it's huge.

The product selection is just incomprehensible.
Not only daily necessities and groceries, but they also sell home appliances, farm tools, Buddhist altars, and tires.

I haven't counted exactly how many types there are, but if someone said, 'We suddenly have to harvest rice with 100 people tomorrow,' you could probably manage. There are enough sickles to easily equip 100 people.

There is also a gas station attached, which is apparently the cheapest in the region.

You can even get your vehicle inspection done there.

The era where you can get a vehicle inspection at a supermarket has arrived.
No, it had already arrived. In Akune, it arrived a long time ago.

Buy groceries, fill up on gas, and get your vehicle inspection done while you're at it.
Your life is completed in one stroke. It's so efficient it makes me want to cry.

Cash payment is recommended for checkout.

At first, I thought, 'What? In the age of cashless payments?'
But I understood after hearing the reason.

They are passing the savings from the credit card processing fees back to the customers by lowering product prices.

In other words, they are saying, 'Please pay in cash so we can offer you better deals.'

I love that so much.

Instead of keeping the profit for the store, they give it back to the customers.
This philosophy flows throughout all of A-Z Akune.

Apparently, there is a raffle at the end of the year where you can win a car.

A car, you say...

Is it something like, 'We want to deliver a dream for the New Year'?
Isn't that too kind? A-Z Akune, aren't you being too kind?

That was the moment I decided where I would spend this New Year's Eve.

Inside the store, luxurious single-plank boards are used just as they are for displays.

I thought single-plank boards were for tables, or maybe used as counters in high-end inns.

But A-Z is different. They use them for tray return counters and hanging decorations in the store.
Their aesthetic sense is so unique, it's practically art.

And then, the soy sauce corner.

This is the one thing I really want to shout from the rooftops.

The selection of soy sauce is insane.

I say 'insane' with the utmost respect.

Or rather, it's not just the soy sauce. The entire store is insane. (I mean that as a compliment.)

The liquor section is also amazing. It was enough to stop a whiskey lover like me in my tracks. Not only was the shochu selection great, but the whiskey shelf was so well-stocked that I had to look twice to make sure this was really a supermarket.

There is also a restaurant inside the store, and it hits the trifecta of 'delicious, cheap, and voluminous'.

I ate lunch here, did some shopping, had some dango, filled up on gas, and headed home. You could spend the whole day here. In fact, I did spend the whole day here.

When you go outside, they also sell things like dango and yakitori.

And these are delicious, too.

Freshly grilled dango and yakitori for a body tired from shopping.
The best. It's strategically too delicious. They know human weaknesses inside and out.

And the theme color of A-Z Akune is a soft and gentle hue.

That massive building doesn't feel intimidating. It feels like it's saying, 'Welcome, make yourself at home.'

I thought to myself, this alone is reason enough to live in Akune.

I'm not exaggerating. I mean it sincerely.

A life where you have a place nearby that's open 24 hours, has everything you need, serves delicious food, can handle your vehicle inspection, and might even win you a car at the end of the year. Isn't that the best?

A-Z Akune is a treasure of Japan.

With the utmost respect, that is exactly what I want to say.

Ah, this place doesn't just 'have everything'.

It's a place that 'takes care of everything' for you.