Here is a different take on convenience! The Japanese convenience store is so essential that it is easily seen wherever you go. It is very distinct that its abbreviation, konbini, already makes you picture many different things. Its nature of being easy to access and available 24/7 will make you fall in love with Japanese convenience stores.
3 Major Convenience Stores in Japan
You might be familiar with Japan’s three most popular convenience stores, because they are also popular in the Philippines. To top the list, we have 7-Eleven, the store with the highest number of branches across Japan. It is popular for its affordable and high quality, healthy meals, like the onigiri and the omurice. The second most popular convenient store in Japan is FamilyMart. It is home to more than just your usual onigiris and bentos, Family Mart has so much more to offer, like steamed pork buns and beef croquettes. The third most popular convenience store in Japan, and one that is quite new to the Philippines, is Lawson. Lawson is famous for their desserts and having their own brand called the Uchi Cafe. It brings Japan’s best pastry and cake flavors to life and at an affordable price.
A Quick To-Go Meal of Your Choice
Japan’s take on convenience store products are on a whole different scale from most countries. In Japan, quick meals are very essential, especially to those with busy mornings. You can get quick to-go snacks to a full bento meal with dessert and any kind of drink. Meals sold in Japanese corner stores are cheap, but they are high quality. Their menus are really broad and you can try every other convenience store if one does not satisfy you enough.
Next Level Convenience
The Japanese konbini has given justice to the term convenience. Aside from being able to buy daily necessities like toiletries and undergarments, they also have magazines and manga. It is not only a place where you buy things, but other services are also available. These services are paying bills, picking up packages, and buying different tickets. You can buy film, concert, sports events, exhibitions, and other kinds of tickets. Printing services are also possible at most konbini; you can also photocopy, scan, and fax.
Japan really has a different take on the convenience of convenience stores. They are made accessible to the extent of having one or two in every block. They offer a variety of meals, desserts, and drinks, both hot and cold. Toiletries and a few forms of entertainment can be bought or rented. It is also a plus that they offer services that you normally do in specific places like malls and couriers. You can definitely see Japan’s culture of taking care of others by having nearly every necessity in their convenience stores.
