Japanese convenience stores are among one of the greatest things in Japan. Why you ask? Because you can get a HUGE variety of delicious food and drink, all for a really low price, and you can get it any time of the day!
Now, you might be thinking, ‘Eww convenience store food. That’s gross’, or something along those lines. And to that, we say, you’re wrong.
Convenience store food in Japan is surprisingly quite tasty, with a wide variety of food to choose from for a really low price. You can get things such as fried chicken, spaghetti bolognese, onigiri and even sandwiches, and the best part is, it’s all fresh! What’s even cooler is that on some foods, like the spaghetti, or gyoza (Japanese dumpling), you can have it heated up in the store so it’s piping hot, ready for immediate consumption right there and then! You can easily fill up on food for less than 500JPY each meal, which saves you quite a bit of money if you were to eat out at a restaurant. Many foreigners will often go to convenience stores to get their breakfast every day because its so cheap! I personally, went every day for a month, got a packet of sandwiches (usually come with 3 flavours), and an Iced coffee, all for about 350JPY, so it’s certainly a cheap way to grab a good meal!
Surprisingly, instant noodles are sold at convenience stores. What’s better, you can even cook them in the store after you purchase it. Most stores have a hot water boiler, so you can just pour the water in the package, and your instant noodles start cooking. Similarly,
Most convenience stores have free WiFi as well, so if you buy some food, you can sit outside the store and check your emails and messages if the need be. This comes in so handy if you are travelling around Japan all day without a portable WiFi hotspot, especially because if you are like me, your service provider charges outrageous amounts for overseas data usage! For many travellers, the convenience store is a saving grace, and with convenience stores being almost everywhere you go, you can get connected when you need to!
So in Japan, convenience stores can seriously be a lifesaver, and will definitely come in handy when you need a cheap and delicious meal.