Convenience stores

Make Japanese convenience stores your friends. The perfect place to stock up for a picnic or buy things you didn't even know you needed.

The first time InsideJapan stepped foot in a konbini or Japanese convenience store, little did we know how big a part of our life in Japan they would become. It's impossible to avoid the ubiquitous konbini, and you will see the big Japanese chains such as Lawsons and Family Mart on every city street corner. They all sell very similar stock that includes everything you didn't even realise you needed from toiletries, to socks, to stationery and mobile phone chargers.

But food and drink is the most important part of a konbini whether you want a bottle of Pocari Sweat (yes, a well-known sports drink) or some cheap Kirin beers. For a snack try onigiri rice balls, wasabi beef flavoured crisps or green tea Kit Kats, while for lunch and dinner it's easy to find tasty bento lunchboxes or pasta dishes which konbini staff will heat in microwaves for you. Konbini are also handy places to find clean toilets, recycling bins and ATM machines.

Give in to the lure of the konbini! While Japan has a reputation for being expensive, konbini are a cheap and very Japanese way to live life on the go.

Convenience stores

Available throughout Japan

Interested in this Experience? It is included in this tour:

This is a simple little package that proves it needn't break the bank to go on a winter sports holiday in Japan.

Skiing on a Snowshoe String

Spend four nights at a very friendly lodge in Hakuba, one of Japan's best ski resorts, sandwiched by nights in Tokyo with time for cultural sightseeing in the country's capital.

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Other Food & drink experiences

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Try okonomiyaki - a savoury pancake-style dish
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Japanese kitchen knives
Cooking enthusiasts must head to Kappabashi Street or Tsukiji market to buy world-class Japanese knives.
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