convenience store

This week's Conbini Monday features a Happy Lawson store from Yamashita Park, Yokohama. As Golden Week has started in Japan, many stores are not stocking a full range of goods and new products are thin. This Happy Lawson store…

Looks like 7-Eleven have realized that NEWDAYS, the Japan Railway in-station convenience stores that grew out of small kiosk shops, have been gaining ground in the competitive convenience store market. NEWDAYS have been popping up…

Thanks to everyone who replied saying they wanted to get a taste of Japanese convenience stores, conbini, in their own home. The poll finished up with most people wanting a US$50 box inclusive of postage. I have checked prices at the…

Calbee make some great potato chips and this weeks to pick is no exception. With the top left hand label mark saying "we introduce new interesting flavors every month", it looks like we could be seeing some good stuff coming up.…

Banana Diet was big with the ladies last year and ever since banana flavored products have been coming on to the market in an attempt to ride the trend and cash in on sales. This Asahi product in their Bakers Delight series was a set…

A few years ago, with the postal service in Japan being scrutinized by politicians for privatization and everyone looking for ways to restructure the business operations, many local post offices were closed and the service of buying…

I went down to the Disney convenience store to check out their supplies for this weeks Conbini Monday. They had a few special Disney goodies as well as the usual great conbini supplies. First up are some Disney specials produced by…

I played golf in Ibaraki-ken last week and stopped at a Sankus convenience store in the parking area at Ishioka. It was a hot day and most people were either crowding around the ice creams or the cold drinks. Here are some of the…

Following up on last weeks look at Mitsuya Cider, I found a new Premium product from them which is selling in a limited quantity set. The drink's unusual plum taste comes from being made of part domestic umeboshi. Seems like…

If you thought all convenience stores in Japan were the same, branded as a Lawson, 7 Eleven, ampm or other type, then you need to take a closer look at the convenience store at Maihama in the new Disneyland Hotel. At first glance it…

Mitsuya Cider has been a well loved Japanese drink since Asahi first introduced it in 1884. Originating from Hyogo-ken from humble beginnings, its fresh sparkling taste conquered Japan and is also popular overseas. With such a long…

Rilakkuma did the shopping this week for Conbini Monday, and I can warn you now, he went wild!! Trendy Magazine, in their latest July 2009 edition, are highlighting a number of products that have become hit products in the first half…

In this weekly convenience store series, Conbini Monday, we are going to have a look at the inside of the Lawson store near my house. There is always plenty of choice on the shelves in the cold section, whether you want sandwiches,…

Following up the Spo-Vege drink from last week, I thought we would stay with the drinks and take a look at this interesting find that i saw sitting on the shelves last night. It is called Pudding Jake Shake, a drinkable version of…

Seven Eleven, convenience store, has a wide variety of bento lunches you can buy in store. They have also launched a home delivery bento service which operates 365 days a year and can easily be ordered for many people or just yourself.…

There are a number of chocolate and other flavored power bars on sale at the moment. making me think a niche has been identified in the market that manufacturers are now competing for. Morinaga has released a ChocoFlake Bar and a Milk…

Lawson seems to be firmly tied up wtih San-x and the Rilakkuma Bear now. Every time Lawson comes up with a new promotion Rilakkuma looks to be their lead off hitter. The current promotion is a connected to the Lawson Point Card with a…

The new sweets keep coming from the local convenience store. Here are two I tried today. The Mickey/Minnie ones are Hokkaido Milk sweets and the strawberry ones are Cubyrop Gummy filled with collagen. I am not even going to try and guess…

I bought a pack of Yuzu Potato chips the other day to try something different. Yuzu is found in Japan although originally came from China. The taste is very similar to a mandarin and may even be a derivative of that fruit. There are…