Alright, so one convenience store is buying out its rival in order to "boost competitiveness." Not really a big deal, don't you think?

Well, if you've ever spent some time in Japan, you find yourself building a natural ranking of the convenience stores in your mind based on any number of factors -- selection of goods, cleanliness of their stores, helpfulness of staff and their store brands.

I never particularly liked am/pm -- probably because the only ones I would ever go to were right next to train stations or in Nara, and so they came across as dirty and dingy. Family Mart, on the other hand, maintains this blindingly white appearance, and had some of the best damn melon bread that I've ever bought in a convenience store.

I can still taste it now, even.

am/pm will still be its own set of stores, but hopefully Family Mart will help give it a shove in the right direction in terms of appearance and friendliness when going to the stores. So, this is only a good thing for those of you who are planning to visit Japan sometime in the future. Family Mart is probably my favorite convenience store, with Lawson's right behind them, since it's the only place you can buy some hot meat buns and concert tickets all at once.