Convenience Stores are plentiful around Japan. They provide a different array of options and sell everything from groceries to underpants. Their best sellers are mostly foods: Are you interested in buying some Japanese foods there but still unsure which ones you should buy? Here’s the list of recommendations for you!

Onigiri

Onigiri is a versatile Japanese food widely known as traditional cuisine as it makes rice portable and you can carry them everywhere. They offer wide range of collections such as Shake (鮭: Samon), Konbu(昆布:Saccharina japonica) and Ume(梅: a japanese fruit that has a sour taste)

Sando

Sando is a short-term of Sandwich in Japanese. Yamazaki Soft has a wide selection of it: Scrambled eggs, vegetables, whipped cream, fruits and whipped cream. Whenever you want to eat those, you can find pretty much every kinds of taste you want.

Bento

Konbini Bento is one of the best-seller foods in those stores. If you want to eat Japanese foods but you feel it is a hassle to stand in line for hours to eat at popular restaurant/cafes, or if you’re dead hungry and want to eat something right away, this would be the best for you. They are ready-made cuisines, therefore it’s quite popular among every generations. Depending on convenience store, they have different kinds of selections such as Pasta, Japanese Nikujyaga to Pizza.

Oden

Oden is a widely known traditional Japanese foods you want to try during winter. Especially one of the major convenience store Seven-eleven has a ready-made Oden. It has boiled eggs, chopped raddish, konjac (konnyaku), Chikuwa (ground fish looks like tubes of bamboo), hampen (triangles of flavored ground fish), kinchaku, cute pouches of fried tofu (literally, “cloth purse”) : They are some of the popular & essential ingredients. The Kanto style seasoning is sweeter and has a stronger soy sauce flavor but the Kansai style is more subtle and lighter.

Chocolate

They offer interesting & unique chocolates such as Galbo mini, Makadamia, Country Ma’am. Enjoy those shapes and flavors as each of them taste quite different! You can buy those as souvenirs before you leave.

Potato Chips

Do you think Potato Chips are everywhere in the world? That’s not true. They have different flavors you can get only in Japan. And more particularly, they’ve got unique flavors in some areas. For instance, some stores in Osaka has Kansai-soy source in Japan, too.

Instant Ramen

Instant Ramen is one of the versatile foods in Japan. Though there are similar foods in other countries, Japanese convenience stores have unique & locally flavored ones you can only get in those areas. Japanese people have a stock of them as emergency foods as it’s quick and easy to eat.

Ice cream

If you have already tried traditional Japanese foods and want to try something new, japanese ice cream is the one for you. Some of the best-sellers are : Garigari-kun, Azuki ( Japanese red beans ) flavored ice cream.

Daihuku

Daifuku is a sweet rice bun made out of rice paste called “mochi”. It has a filling such as strawberries, Anko, and whipped cream. We eat it as snacks or cerebrate new year’s day. The most common filling is Anko(pasted red sweet beans), but convenience store has widen its offerings. Therefore, you will find those as quite unique.

Karaage

Karaage is deep-fried chicken nuggets. It has been a much-loved staple at convenience stores, especially Lawson has a strong reputation for it. If you want to try something salty & hot, this is perfect for you. Also they sell them in cups, the best part is you can share it with friends. If you are planning to have home party, this would be the best snack for you.
Convenience stores are one of the popular stores.You should try whatever catches your eye as it can be only available in Japan. Buy those as souvenirs, home party with your friends and enjoy your stay!

Top Image @sakura_chihaya+