A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Convenience Stores (and What To Buy There)

Japanese convenience stores may have been born in the United States (two of the three biggest chains in Japan, 7-11 and Lawson, are originally from the US), but they came into their own in Japan. While convenience stores in the US are known mostly for beef jerky, Red Bull, and not much else, konbini in Japan are actually convenient, offering a wide array of products and services for only a slight premium over what they might cost in bigger, less convenient stores.

The first modern-style chain stores opened in the 1970s. Before that, there were scattered corner stores; dagashiya (candy and snack stores, often with simple toys, aimed mostly at children); and tabakoya (cigarette shops) since at least the late 1800s. However, with the rise of konbini, these kinds of specialty stores have been largely crushed. Over the last few decades, konbini steadily proliferated, incorporated into hospitals, city halls, hotels, and office buildings, becoming an ubiquitous part of Japan.

Insider tip: Most konbini are open 24 hours a day, though there are exceptions for those that are part of larger buildings or businesses with shorter hours.

Today, konbini compete on innovation, offering store-brand snacks and exclusive collaborations. Different chains are known for different things, and many Japan residents have fierce favorites. 7 Eleven, for example, is known for their store brand foods; one frequent collaboration is with French patissier Pierre Herme for limited-edition signature desserts such as the strawberry pistachio eclair released in November 2022. Family Mart, often shortened to Famima, has many fans of its famichiki, or hot case fried chicken. Lawson has a sub-brand called Natural Lawson (about 140 stores) that has an emphasis on natural and/or organic products, avoidance of synthetic preservatives, and more vegan and vegetarian choices. Meanwhile, Mini Stop is a go-to for their soft-serve ice cream, including seasonal flavors such as strawberry condensed milk, muscat grape, and Belgian chocolate.

Other top Japanese convenience store chains include Daily Yamazaki, Seico Mart, and NewDays, the latter of which is found mainly in Japan Rail train stations.

Konbini are, for the most part, self service. Browse, grab what you like, head to the checkout. Recently, some stores have self-service checkout options (some of which take cashless payments only), but there will almost certainly be a human clerk in case you don’t want to muddle with the machine.

Cigarettes are kept behind the counter where you’ll have to ask the clerk for them. Both cigarettes and alcohol purchases require you to be 20 years old and you’ll be required to press the “age verification button” that comes up on the touch screen when purchasing.

Though there is a small markup at konbini, most things don’t cost dramatically more than you would spend at a supermarket or department store. And since konbini are often no more than a few paces away; offer a quick, hassle free transaction; and have no large space to navigate or long supermarket lines, many people are willing to pay a few extra yen for the considerable amount of time saved.

The average person spends about ¥712 (roughly US$5) per visit, or enough to buy a bento lunch and a drink, or a handful of snacks. Bento lunchboxes hover around ¥500 (US$3.75), while onigiri, or rice balls, go for between ¥100–150 (US$0.75–1.10), and bottled drinks run around ¥100–200 (US$0.75–1.50).

In recent years, the bigger chains have begun adding English translations to many of their ready-made food offerings, such as rice balls, so that non-Japanese speakers don’t need to play rice ball roulette. Still, plenty of products will be in Japanese only, so try your luck or whip out Google Translate’s camera function for ingredient translation.

And while you likely won’t need to speak to get through a konbini transaction, a few phrases might come in handy if you need the clerk’s help.

• (Pizaman), kudasai. = “(Steamed pizza bun), please.”
• Fukuro, kudasai. = “A bag, please.” (Bags cost a few yen extra.)
• Ikura desu ka? = “How much is this?” (Prices will usually be displayed, but not always.)
• Toire wa doko desu ka? = “Where is the toilet?”

Beyond the whats and the hows of shopping in konbini, there are a few pieces of etiquette you’ll want to keep in mind.

• Konbini are one of the few places where you can find (semi) public trash cans, but dumping outside trash is basically prohibited. You can probably get away with tossing in a stray wrapper from your backpack, but be discreet.
• Pay for your cup before hitting the coffee machine, and don’t try to cheat by putting a large in a medium cup—people have been arrested for this.
• Clerks are mostly minimum wage workers, often immigrants and students. Be quick and courteous, and don’t expect them to speak English. Ask for what you want if you know the vocabulary; if you need to point, you can say “X, kudasai” (X, please).
• You can heat up your food in one of the provided microwaves, and feel free to eat in if chairs are provided. If not, it’s common to crouch and slurp out front.

Related: Tokyo Do’s and Don’ts: 10 Unwritten Rules That Every Tokyoite Knows

Shopping at konbini is one of the easiest ways to immerse yourself in Japanese culture and indulge in a treat at the same time. Since konbini rotate products constantly, there’s always something new to discover. For just a few hundred yen, you can splurge on something that carries a frisson of novelty, that feels like an indulgence yet is utterly affordable. Happy snacking!