konbini smackdown
this is going to be a short one, and i don’t intend to send an email for this one either.
i am taking a rest day today. originally, i had planned to go to nara, a city near osaka where you can feed deer. but i was quite tired and my feet were killing me after the whirlwind 3 day kyoto experience, so i decided to stay home and rest. i also cleaned up the airbnb i had been staying in for a week, as i need to check out tomorrow. but that isn’t a fun blog post. so i am going to give my opinions on the 3 major “konbini” (convenience store) chains in japan.
there are 3 major konbini chains in japan. 7-eleven (did you know it was a japanese brand?), family mart, and lawson.
i may have mentioned this before, but konbini in japan are on a whole different level from what you’d expect from a grimy 7-eleven in america. i have been told by multiple japanese people that it is common to eat at least one konbini meal a day. that sounded crazy to me at first, but i totally get it now. it isnt just snack garbage (there is plenty of snack garbage though).
cue entrance music
in the red corner, this contestant needs no introduction:
with over 21,000 locations in japan, 7-eleven is the largest of the konbini chains in japan by a pretty wide margin. i am not a coffee drinker, but i am told 7-eleven has the best coffee and breakfast options of the three.
i have been into 4 or 5 7-elevens so far on this trip, and my favorite item by far is their baumkuchen, a german pastry that is incredibly popular in japan. it is a ring shaped cake, usually without frosting. the japan section of the above linked wikipedia article is actually a pretty interesting read, if you are curious why a specific german pastry is so popular here.
i have tried baumkuchen from all 3 konbini, and also a matcha flavored baumkuchen from a store in kyoto station, and i still think this cheap small 7-eleven one is the winner. its delicious and extremely cheap.
in the green corner, coming in at over 16,000 stores in japan:
family mart is the konbini i have spent the most time in since arriving in japan, having gone at least briefly every day since arriving in osaka.
they are apparently quite famous for fried chicken. all konbinis sell fried chicken, but i am told the family mart version is the cream of the crop. because of this, i am going to go get some after i finish this blog post.
the famous “famichiki”
family mart also apparently sells the widest variety of bentos, ready to eat lunch boxes. i have not tried a konbini bento yet, but i plan to get one for my train to nagasaki on the 9th.
and in the blue corner, the scrappy underdog, with over 14,000 stores in japan:
i have only been into one lawson, and it was just to get an umbrella, so i can’t really say much about this one.
in the process of writing this, i actually learned that the company was founded in america, in ohio, in 1939. it has since moved primarily to japan, though.
i have not had many opportunities to visit a lawson. everywhere i have stayed in japan has been within a 2 minute walk of either a family mart or a 7-eleven, so i just haven’t really given it a fair shake.
this does make the contest here inherently unfair. but considering it is all super anecdotal experiences and opinions being broadcast to an audience of like 8 people anyway, i am not too worried about it.
the verdict
i have to say i would choose 7-eleven as my #1. they have the best checkout system of the konbini i have visited, and they just automatically win for the delicious baumkuchen as well.
plus, from what i have seen so far, 7-eleven has by far the best selection of microwaveable meals.
they have a huge selection of these types of things, from traditional japanese food like miso soup or udon, to this cod roe & butter spaghetti. i had a 7-eleven spaghetti on like my 4th night in japan, and it was excellent.
honorable mentions
i wanted to shout out some products available at all the konbini that i think are great. no particular chain seems to be better for these (in my opinion).
onigiri are quite popular and readily available at seemingly every konbini in japan, and i am a huge fan. they are super cheap (like a dollar or two) and are a perfect snack. its a triangle of rice with the filling of your choice (i quite like salmon and tuna) with a piece of nori wrapped around it. 10/10 one of the best konbini items.
these vitamin/protein/energy jelly pouches are insanely popular in japan. i never see anyone eating or drinking on the train, with the exception of these.
the japanese diet is quite lacking in many vitamins, as fruit is shockingly expensive here. i think a lot of people use the green ones above to make up for the deficit in the japanese diet. and honestly i could see myself being a vitamin jelly eater forever. if theyre available in the usa, i would buy these. i havent tried the energy or protein ones, but the vitamin ones are great.
