A word you’ll learn really fast in Japan is konbini (コンビニ) which means convenience store. Why? Because they are really, really convenient.

The one that you’ll notice first will probably be 7-Eleven, or as I was referring to it during my first week in Japan “Gaijin’s best friend”. Another ones are: Family Mart and Lawson Station. What's so special in this tiny shops? Well, let’s start with the basics.

Food.

Sure, you can go to supermarket and buy everything there. But almost 30% of konbini's products are packed lunches. You can find sushi sets, spaghetti or rice with meat, onigiri, sandwiches, instant soups, vegetable salads, fruits already washed and cut, dairy desserts, cakes, everything in transparent plastic boxes, ready to heat up in microwave and eat. You don’t have anything to eat with? Don’t worry, the clerk will give you everything you might need, starting with chopsticks and spoons and ending with moist cloth for washing your hands. There’s also a microwave/ oven in each shop, so your dish may be heated in an instant. Another thing, usually situated just next to the counter are warm dishes, like fried chicken or something looking like shishkebab. But lunches are not the end of it- there’s also a wide variety of drinks in bottles and boxes, from tiny to very big, from water and milk to choya wine. There are also buns and toast bread and a wide spectrum of snacks and dairy products.

My first breakfast in Japan- caffe latte (unfortunately without sugar) and sushi set from 7-Eleven

The best part- many things has name written not only in Japanese but also in English. 

Prices.

One thing you have to get used to in Japan is counting tax. In many shops prices don’t include tax, so you have to consider this while shopping and be aware that the price in a thing is not the one you will be asked to pay. Konbini’s always have two prices on every thing- one without the tax and another with tax included. Makes shopping much easier. 

Variety.

Food is not the only thing you can find in these shops. There are also newspapers, notebooks, file cabinets, face masks for sick, make up removers, wet tissues, umbrellas, and many other things you may need.

Location.

There are everywhere. Really, if you don’t have a konbini within 5-minutes walk distance, you may want to check if you are still in Tokyo. Another useful thing- they are all on Google maps, so it’s easy to find the closest one on smartphone. 

Tokyo on Google Maps with 7-Eleven and Lawson

Beyond shopping.

There’s nothing surprising that you can buy products in a shop. But for konbini it’s just a start. The additional features are:

• opening hours- most of them are open 24/7
• toilet- tiny but it’s always there for anyone to use. You don’t have to buy anything
• ATM- I don’t know about the others, but it’s in 7-Eleven. Almost all foreign cards work (believe me, it’s not so obvious in Japan) and it has English version.
• print station- you can upload your documents online and print them in a machine standing usually quite close to the entrance (here’s a guide of how to register in the system, and here’s how to print in 7-Eleven)
• bills- yes, you can pay your bill there, but also you can pay for your Amazon order- no need to have a credit card or Japanese bank account.