Japanese Konbini

Japanese Konbini-Convenience Stores with an Attitude:

So you think shopping in Japan is expensive? Think again. It can be quite reasonable, depending on where you do your Japan shopping. A curious phenomenon in Japan is the Konbini, or convenience store. These stores offer you a wide variety of goods, including ready to eat meals. Popular names like Lawson, Family Mart, AM PM, Sun R Us, and 7 Eleven are literally EVERYWHERE. On every street corner, even in the countryside.

On every trip to Japan, as soon as we arrive and check in to the hotel, my wife and I look for those familiar signs, almost as if they were comforting, and as if they were calling us to go in. Konbinis are mini superettes, but with attitude. Beside over the counter medications, soft drinks, film, tooth paste, hair products, and snacks, they come with packaged croissants, rice balls, prepared bento(boxed lunches), hot Japanese stew(oden), sushi sets, all the beer, wine, Japanese cold sake and shochu you can drink, candy, Japanese snacks, underwear, neckties, dress shirts, make up, copy machines, fax machines, mail service(allows you to mail packages, and accepts packages for delivery services(takkyubin-Yamato black cat, Pelican-san), and Western-style bathrooms.

Our standard buys are bottled water, an occasional beer or Japanese sake, the Japanese equivalent of Febreze, Shiseido aluminum ion foot spray, Japanese snacks, including Japanese green tea flavored Kit Kat bars, and Meiji Look chocolate-covered candy and Lotte chocolate-covered almonds.

Leaving early the next day for a side trip on the Shinansen, on the Tokyo subway, can’t wait for the restaurant in the Hotel to open-go down to that konbini and buy a Starbucks iced coffee, or hot coffee and pick up that hot croissant. Need a lunch to go? Try one of those bento lunches-they’re great! Japanese Konbinis are "konbinient" and not to be missed on your trip as you travel Japan.

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