The Deepressing [sic] Search

Before our trip to Japan in late August and early September, I set myself three goals. The first was to score a legal, Region 2 copy of GEDO SENKAI, the anime adaptation of Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea novels produced by Studio Ghibli, which for licensing reasons won't be released in the US for a few years. Done; I picked it up in the dealer's room at Worldcon. The second was to buy a new digital camera in Akihibara. Done.

The third was to find a can of Deepresso. As I've blogged earlier, Deepresso is a canned coffee drink sold through Coca-Cola's Georgia brand. The name is so hilarious that I had to have a can for my own.

Things looked promising when we landed at Narita Airport. As I walked down the arrivals lobby, headed for a restroom, I saw a vending machine with a can of Deepresso. At the time, I hadn't had time to break any of the Japanese bills I'd brought with me into the coins required for a vending machine, so I didn't buy it. No problem, I thought; I should have no problem finding it in Japan, land of convenience stores and vending machines.

You can probably see where this is going.

Suffice it to say that both Amy and I searched every 7-11, AM-PM, Family Mart, Lawson's, Daily Hot, and independent convenience store and deli we came across in Yokohama and Tokyo; and a myriad of vending machines. We even checked vending machines devoted to Coca-Cola products; and the Coca-cola merchandise store and fountain on Takeshita Street in Harajuku.

No Deepresso.

Our last shot was the Narita Airport on our return trip. We had some time between check-in and boarding, so we returned to the same lobby where I spotted Deepresso almost two weeks before.

We found ourselves on the opposite side of the terminal from the vending machine where I had spotted the caffienated elixer. I asked Amy to wait while I ran over there (wearing a heavy backpack) and checked it out.

She insisted on coming with. "I've looked all over Japan for this stuff," she said. "I want to see it!"

So we trekked over to the machine. No Deepresso.

On the way back, Amy finally spotted a lone vending machine with Deepresso proudly displayed in it. She took my picture pointing to it.

Then I fed in 120 yen in coins, and pressed the button for the drink, anticipating the bittersweet ambrosia that would soon be sliding down my throat.

A red light appeared below the button.

It was sold out.

Deepressing indeed.