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You are here: Home / Destinations / Asia / An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store

12/09/15 | Asia, Destinations, Food, Japan


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The reputation of the Japanese convenience store precedes it. One of the first things anyone shared with me when they found out I was going to Japan was their praises for their 7-11s and the amazing selection of food they have available.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Where do I even begin?!

And I definitely was not disappointed.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Yup! Looks the same as home.

While most people think of 7-11 when they think of convenience stores, we found a competing store, Family Mart, to be more prevalent. There are a few other chains as well (Lawson, Circle K were the most common), but they all more or less sell similar things. I didn’t have enough time to really see if there were any differences in quality. Regardless of the name, there was a convenience store on virtually every corner in the cities we visited it seemed.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

When I travel I always like to visit supermarkets, but these convenience stores were another story. There were so many fascinating things to look at. Ready to eat food, chips, candy, drinks, toiletries and they took it a step further and included things like clothing.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Chocolate! And other snacks

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Savoury snacks

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

So much variety in alcoholic beverages!

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Of course you gotta have instant noodles

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Smoothie or coffee to go?

A Variety of Ready to Eat Foods

I loved the selection of ready to eat foods they had which would put any convenience store in Canada (and anywhere else I’ve been to really) to shame. From rice balls to noodle sets to sandwiches, there were so many things to try.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

A variety of pastries

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

All the different kinds of noodles you could want

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Warm baos with different types of filling

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Beyond the egg and what looks to be tofu, I’m not really sure what all of this is.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Food in pouches. Intriguing.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Desserts!

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

A breakfast from a convenience store: gyoza, half boiled eggs and an onigiri

My Favourite Bites

I was really looking forward to eating the onigiris they had. Onigiri are rice balls formed into a triangular shape and filled with a variety of items from fish like salmon or tuna with mayonnaise to pickled vegetables to fried foods like tempura. I ate quite a few of these during my time in Japan. Almost one a day as they made for a great snack or cheap breakfast.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

So many to choose from!

It was a bit like a game of chance with the filling. Not being able to read Japanese made it a bit difficult and even using Google translate didn’t help too much. Regardless, I found most fillings to be quite tasty. The only one I didn’t like was filled with pickled ume (umeboshi) which left a sour (both literally and figuratively) taste in my mouth.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

I also especially enjoyed the half boiled eggs they had available. It’s pretty incredible to me that they’re able to keep the correct egg yolk consistency.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Another favourite were the mini bubble teas in the Family Mart which were the prefect size for me. They came in a variety of flavours like coconut, milk tea and coffee.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

I also discovered these canned cocktails which I think has shōchū, a Japanese distilled spirit, mixed with juice or soda called Chu-Hi. I tried quite a number of flavours all of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

The Weird and Wonderful

There were quite a number of unusual things I found too:

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

I like my noodles, but not so sure about it in a bun

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Some unusual popcorn flavours

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

When in Japan anime is the selling point

An Ode to the Japanese Convenience Store | packmeto.com

Canned foods are normal but this is an interesting selection of flavours

I had such a great time wandering through the convenience store. I could have easily spent an hour just looking at all the different brands and things for sale. Not to mention eat my way through it! Now, if only I could pack one of these convenience stores home with me, that would be fantastic!

What unusual aspect of a culture tends to fascinate you when you travel? Have you been to a Japanese convenience store? What were some of your favourite discoveries?

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Comments

  1. Danika says

    December 10, 2015 at 2:10 PM

    Yes! Ramen eggs!
    I also really liked the steamed pizza buns!
    My uncle says the family mart onigiri are the best because they have less preservatives. I ate them from all the stores anyways.

    • Adelina says

      December 17, 2015 at 8:30 AM

      Haha, the ramen eggs were thanks to your suggestion. I was a little sketched out to try them, but SO GOOD! I didn’t see any steamed pizza buns. They sound good though!

  2. Michele {Malaysian Meanders} says

    December 10, 2015 at 10:52 PM

    When my hubby went on a business trip to Tokyo a few years ago, he was so busy going from meeting to meeting that all his lunches were from 7-11. I had felt rather sorry for him, but after reading this, it doesn’t look like it’s that bad after all. What a selection! Certainly far better than what the 7-11 and Circle K are like near me. Funny enough, I just read about those carb-on-carb noodles on a bun the other day. It’s supposed to be a easy, portable way to eat noodles on the go with just one hand.

    • Adelina says

      December 17, 2015 at 8:29 AM

      Oh wow, by that logic, it’s a great idea. The Japanese think of everything it seems. I think if he ate from mostly convenience stores, then he probably ate quite well. So much selection and mostly quite tasty.

  3. Andrew says

    December 12, 2015 at 4:25 AM

    two words. FRIED CHICKEN,

    • Adelina says

      December 17, 2015 at 8:23 AM

      I didn’t get any fried chicken from the 7-11s. They looked kind of soggy. BUT I had some AMAZING karaage at a few different ramen places. SO GOOD.

  4. Svet Dimitrov says

    December 13, 2015 at 12:54 AM

    Hehe, it reminds me so much of China! The food, the varieties. I guess it is even more diverse, but 7-11s are Japanese so :))

    Great article!

    • Adelina says

      December 17, 2015 at 8:22 AM

      Thanks! I haven’t been to China (other than Hong Kong) so hard for me to compare. I’d love to go one day though.

  5. Rachel ¦¦ A Nesting Nomad says

    December 16, 2015 at 10:55 AM

    These shops look amazing! I love food shopping in different countries because I think you can tell a lot about culture from food. I’ve never been to Japan but I’d love to, and if I did I think I could spend all day in a shop like this. There truly are some weird and wonderful things there!

    • Adelina says

      December 17, 2015 at 8:17 AM

      Definitely! I agree completely. It’s so much fun.

  6. Mere S says

    December 21, 2015 at 12:45 PM

    Japanese convenience stores seem so unique with all that selection! I would love to visit one and try all sorts of Japanese foods & desserts. Yum!

    • Adelina says

      January 3, 2016 at 11:12 AM

      Definitely. There is so much to look at and try.

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Adelina is a part time traveler, exploring the world despite having a full-time job. Pack Me To is a collection of stories from her travels and adventures around the world as she packs you to destinations around the world with her.

Adelina has been traveling for as long as she can remember and has lived abroad in the Netherlands and Hungary. She loves telling stories, and eating and exploring her way around the world. Come along for the ride. Read More…

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