“Japan has long been recognized as a global leader in the development of virtual realms. A land of limited physical space and, yes, very active imaginations has applied artifice to often highly sophisticated uses in order to enhance livability. Traditionally, the artful arrangement of a tokonoma – a raised alcove displaying seasonal flowers and hanging scrolls in a teahouse – created an artificial environment where samurai warriors could temporarily duck the realities of ongoing warfare and engage in peaceful meditation and reflection. (Battling enemies would allegedly set aside their swords and hostilities for a few quiet moments of matcha, Japanese green tea.) Similarly, rock gardens, carp pools and bonsai trees take elements of the natural world and reshape them into objects of visual and spiritual refuge: escapes from the otherwise chaotic and untamable world of the actual.”

-Roland Kelts, from his essay “Private Worlds”

Photos by Allison O’Connor

[Ed. note: 7-11, the world's most ubiquitous convenience store, was founded in 1927 in Dallas, Texas. In 1991, it was bought out by Japanese grocery/convenience corporation Ito Yokado (est. 1920).]