Shopping The Konbini Store (Japanese Convenience Store) With Live Iwakuni

When you’re living in Japan, certain things are just…harder. You’ll use Google Translate (with only moderate success) more than your shopping list at the grocery store. You’ll wonder what the heck you’re supposed to do with that trough in the floor the first time you pony up to a squatty potty. You’ll learn that one doesn’t simply throw trash away anywhere one pleases — it’s a whole process. No matter how much life in Japan can enrich your life, sometimes you just craving a little convenience. Enter, the Japanese convenience store — or, as the locals call it, the konbini store.

Our favorite ladies over at Live Iwakuni are taking us into the world of wonder that is the Japanese convenience store. They’ll get you familiar with the three most popular konbini stores around Japan: 7-11, Family Mart, and Lawson. And, they’ll point out some things inside any Japanese convenience store you might recognize (oh, hey there, clean, warm Western toilet and fried chicken), and introduce you to some Japanese treasures you need in your life.

So, can you really survive off of 7-11? In Japan, — with the fresh food options, the rainbow of water and chu-hai choices, and the clean potties — the answer is yes. You won’t believe it at first, we know, but by the time your time in Japan wraps up, you’ll have pushed this theory to the max and come out on the other side a believer!

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Want to impress all your friends and family back home with other ways you flawlessly adapted to Japan life? Study up on Living Like a Local: MCAS Iwakuni Japan.