JAPAN EATS: Conbini (Japanese Convenience Stores)
Dear Foodie Fam,
Let me tell you why the native Japanese food I (and apparently a lot of Japanese transplants) miss the most is from convenience stores!
Facts about Conbinis:
Conbini: 24/7 Japanese convenience stores.
There are 55,000+ conbinis in Japan.
The popular ones usually take all credit cards and many take foreign transactions.
Pre-packaged, cheap meals (400-1000 JP¥) because the competition between different chains is intense.
Free wifi and free bathroom use.
Most popular food at convenience stores: onigiri, oden, egg (and other) sandwiches, bento boxes, ippudo ramen (you can request hot water), karaage, hot beverages, gateaus, sausages, buns, fries.
Non-food services: bank, postal or transportation services, pay bills, pay taxes, use the (sometimes International-Friendly) ATM, make copies and send faxes, print photos, forward your luggage…
Non-food buys: Electronics, toiletries, magazines, manga, souvenirs, beauty stuff, umbrellas, sleek and beautiful stationery, medicine, cleaning products, underwear, socks, stockings (so cheap! I got so many), tickets (entertainment, theme parks, transportation by bus and even by airplane)… really, almost anything you may need
Seasonal apple snack I got at Family Mart.
My Fave Conbini Edible/Drinkable Buys:
Seasonal Snacks: Most snacks are seasonal!
Sweet snacks: Different than American ones in that they are based more on natural sweetness rather than sugar. They are light in this way.
Savory Snacks: May include unique snacks like savory chicken, seafood, mayonnaise and dim sum flavored chips! There’s also lots of eggs- freshly cut and placed in lots of baked goods.
Yogashi: Soft, subtly sweet Western-style pastries that are ready to pick up and snack on or eat for breakfast.
Dutch’s faves: Donburi (rice bowls), Gyūdon (beef over rice), Katsudon (deep-fried pork, scrambled eggs, rice), Oyakodon (chicken, scrambled eggs over rice), Yakitori.
Hot or cold coffee: OK! So cafes open LATE in Japan… and I need to start my days with coffee. There’s vending machines dotting every street- even outside apartment buildings. You can get coffee there, but conbinis have HUGE selections. My favorite is BOSS. Many of the coffees at conbinis are very sweet compared to American ones and this one is stronger than sweet.
Adult Drinks: Not that you should take advantage of it, but drinking outdoors from open-containers is legal here. You can even buy alcohol from vending machines. You have a larger and more inexpensive selection, here.
Cold beverages: Have you ever had different flavored milks? There’s so many, here!
Fried things: omg all the fried things… If it’s easy to eat on the go a and fried… it’s here.
My go-to coffee in Japan: BOSS!
Just a little bit of all the coffees and milk in this conbini!
OMG! I loved these chicken-y chips!
Kit Kat flavors are so varied in Japan- a veritable menagerie… you could find them at gift stores, too. Cheaper here, though.
Popular Conbini Chains:
7-Eleven
most common (20,000 locations).
consistently takes foreign transactions.
FamilyMart
Delicious, convenient selection of yogashi.
My fave because it was right by all our hotels.
Lawson’s
Ohio’s J.J. Lawson, American purveyor of “fresh and delicious milk” owns this chain.
Popular for hot food: honetsuki (fried bone-in chicken), honenashi (fried boneless chicken), kara-age (唐揚げ deep-fried chicken nuggets), onigiri (rice balls)… Anthony Bourdain said Lawsons’ food is “Layer after layer after layer of awesome.”
Other: (10% of the summary of conbini) Ministop, Circle K, Daily Yamazaki, Coco store, Everyone,
Lawson’s fried food display wonderland!
Some Convenience Store Food (that I have photos of… we had a lot!)…
Katsu
Food that comes with sauce, gravy or wet egg-y components are geniusly packed so that the wet stuff can be added over the rice right before eating. Since i love wettish, gloopy food, this was a great system for me!
Seafood bowls
Seafood here is cheap and luscious. You’ve gotta have at least one go at Japanese convenience store seafood.
If you are ever in Japan, you would be smart to not only save money but eat like a local and eat Conbini food. The stuff is still some of my fave food enjoyed, anywhere.
