Japanese convenience stores are really convenient!
They have everything you need from food to daily necessities.
Most of them are 24/7 and located near the station or on major streets. Although things are a little more expensive than supermarkets,
you can’t beat the great services that they offer!

There are about 50,000 of them in Japan (7,000 in Tokyo alone),
so you will see them anywhere you go.
Major convenience stores are Seven-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart.
Here is a brief introduction and guide to Japanese convenience stores!

Food

Bento (Lunch box)

There are many kinds of Bentos available at a convenience store:
Donburi(rice bowl dish), Soba/Udon Noodles, Rice with vegetables, Pasta, etc. And all of them are delicious!
Ingredients and calories are labeled on each product, so you can check what’s inside of them before eating.

If you need, you can tell staff to warm your Bento up in the microwave.
They usually ask if you would like to do that over the counter by saying
・温めますか？(Atatame Masuka?/Would you like to warm it up?)

If you want that, you could say
・はい、お願いします(Hai, Onegai Shimasu/Yes, please).

Or, if you don’t need to, you say
・いいえ、大丈夫です(Iie, Daijobu Desu/No, thank you).

By the way, you need to follow a certain way to open a wrapped rice ball.
I’ve seen a lot of foreign friends struggle, so here’s the step by step guide for a beginner!

First, pull the top part down (you need to flip the rice ball over and keep on pulling it all the way up).

Then, flip it and gently pull the right part off.

Finally take the left part off (Be careful not to rip the sea weed!).

Snacks

You can get candies, chocolates, cookies, fried potatoes, gums, ice creams and more!
You can also order Hot Snacks like fried chicken, Nikuman(Pork Buns) and Oden(Popular food for winter. It involves various ingredients simmered in a soy sauce broth).

You can never get bored trying different kinds of snacks at a convenience store!

Instant ramen

Ramen is very popular all over Japan.
There are many varieties of instant ramens at a convenience store.
Among them, the most popular one is Nisshin’s Cup Noodle.
For foreigners, Ippudo’s ramen is very popular.
You can try different flavors of instant ramens from Seafood to Tomato Curry taste.
I don’t really recommend instant ramen for health-conscious people, but if you are too busy/lazy to cook and just want to enjoy cheap Japanese dish, trying it will be a good idea!

Drinks

Mineral water, tea, milk, juice, beer, energy drinks, wine, whiskey, sake….
You can get almost any kind of drink you can imagine.
Some convenience stores have coffee machines inside and you can order fresh coffee.
For non-alcohol beverages, you can choose to get one in either bottle or carton (Bottled ones are usually a bit more expensive).

Daily necessities

Even if you forget bringing daily necessities like tooth brush or towels, you can get them at a convenience store.
Razors, gloves, notes, pens, lighters, as well as magazines and comics are available.
If you don’t mind spending some money, it might be a good idea not to put all daily necessities in your suitcase.
Instead, you can go to a convenience store and get everything you need after getting here!

Other convenient things

ATM

Yes, they have it! And dou don’t need to worry if you can’t read Japanese.
You can change the language on the ATM machine and withdraw/deposit anytime you want.

Copier/Scanner

If you need to print out/scan some documents, go to a convenience store!
Using the same machine, you can order some tickets for an event like a concert.

Shipping service

You can bring your luggage or package to a convenience store to send it to other places in Japan.
Price varies depending on the size and the weight.
(Letters are from 82yen, and a large package is up to around 5,000yen)

Free and clean restroom

The last but not the least, convenience stores have free restrooms!
And most of them are very clean.

You will be amazed to know how convenient Japanese convenience stores are.
If you have a chance to visit Japan, visit a convenience store to make your stay more comfortable!

Love convenience store food!lol

See you next time!
Taka

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