How to Choose Your “Konbini!”

Posted on 06/10/2022 Last updated on 06/10/2022

One of the main things I’ve utilized since living in Japan are convenience stores, otherwise abbreviated as konbini. Not only are convenience stores in Japan useful, but they are also practically available anywhere. There are a variety of different convenience stores in Japan such as Seven-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart. Each convenience store has its own flavor, goods, and services to suit consumer tastes.

Here’s what to know about picking the right convenience store for you!

What are convenience stores?

Convenience stores are small retail shops that carry a variety of foods, snacks, drugstore items, and packed lunches. They are often found around train stations and residential areas. Convenience stores as the name suggests are made for convenience and provide many services as well. Such services include Wi-Fi, bill payments, ticket reservations, ATMs, and scanners/printers.

Types of Convenience Stores

There are many types of convenience stores but to keep things simple, I will focus on the most widespread and common convenience stores. The largest chain is Seven-Eleven with 20,988 stores throughout Japan, Family Mart is the second largest with 17,409 stores, and lastly, Lawson with 14,000. Besides the larger convenience store chains, there are also smaller ones to mention such as Circle K Sunkus, Ministop, and Daily Yamazaki.

Seven-Eleven is known for its fresh food and fast services. It generally has higher quality than the convenience store chains and a wider range of products, including pet food and lifestyle essentials. Seven-Eleven is targeted elderly customers because of the lightly seasoned food. Salads and bread are popular items at Seven-Eleven.

Lawson is known for being more aesthetic, focusing on nutrition and representation. Their sweets are very popular amongst women and children as they are very cute and visually appealing. Natural Lawson, a chain of Lawson even sells fresh fruits, focusing on organic and naturally sourced products. Some popular items include waffles, parfaits, and pudding.

Family Mart is popular amongst men for desserts and snacks with larger portion sizes. Family Mart is known for having the best hot foods amongst the chains with their own brand of karrage, “Fami-chiki” being quite famous in Japan. Even so much as to develop its own fan base. Popular items at Family Mart are bentos (lunch boxes) and spam musubi.

I hope that this article helped you understand the convenience store culture here in Japan. If you visit Japan, please check them all out!

Looking to find your preferred convenience store brand? Find out more about how to live and work in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher!

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Top Photo: himawariinさん on PhotoAC