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Konbini Basics

Three chains, everywhere, open 24/7. More than snacks.

ATMs, food, printing, ticket pickup, parcel pickup, bathrooms. One stop for most logistics.

The three chains

  • Lawson (blue and white) — strongest at fresh food, sandwiches, fried chicken (karaage-kun), and dessert. Higher-quality coffee program. Famous for tuna mayo onigiri.
  • 7-Eleven (orange, green, red) — strongest at hot food (oden in winter), the gold standard egg sando, and the Seven Bank ATM network. Densest urban footprint.
  • FamilyMart (green and blue) — strongest at famichiki (fried chicken), creative sweets, and seasonal limited items. Bigger snack aisle.

Daily rotation between chains is normal practice for residents. Tourists who pick one chain miss the point.

What’s inside

  • Food — fresh onigiri, sandwiches, bento, hot food at the counter, refrigerated meals to microwave.
  • Drinks — bottled tea (try the unsweetened green and oolong), coffee from the machine, beer, sake, chu-hai.
  • ATMs — Seven Bank at 7-Eleven, Lawson Bank ATM at Lawson, E-net at FamilyMart. All English-capable, all accept foreign cards.
  • Printing and copying — multi-function machines print photos, documents, tickets. Use the English mode.
  • Ticket pickup — concert, baseball, theme park, museum advance tickets pick up at the in-store kiosk (Loppi at Lawson, Famiport at FamilyMart, multicopier at 7-Eleven).
  • Parcel service — Yamato pickup at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, Sagawa at Lawson. Send a bag, or receive a delivery while you’re in Japan.
  • Bathrooms — clean, free, no purchase required. Use them.

What to buy

  • Onigiri — the everyday filler. Tuna mayo, salmon, kombu, ume.
  • Egg sando — 7-Eleven’s is the canonical version. Smooth egg salad on white bread, no shortcut.
  • Hot food — fried chicken (karaage-kun at Lawson, famichiki at FamilyMart), nikuman, oden in winter.
  • Cold drinks — Boss coffee, Pocari Sweat, Royal Milk Tea, every variety of bottled tea.
  • Snacks and chocolate — seasonal Kit Kats, Pocky variations, dried squid, Calbee chips.
  • Pharmacy basics — bandages, painkillers (with caveats — see Donki/Drugstore sheet), cold meds, hand warmers in winter.

Things that surprise tourists

  • Heated food on request — the cashier will microwave a bento on the spot if you say “atatamemasu ka?” (or just nod when they ask).
  • Disposable wooden chopsticks and napkins — included by default. No need to ask.
  • No tipping — anywhere, including konbini. The price is the price.
  • Tax-free at konbini — some locations participate, especially in tourist-heavy areas. Look for the tax-free sticker at the door. Most konbini don’t, and the ¥5,000 pre-tax threshold is hard to hit with snacks alone.