Japan Convenience Stores – Buy Food, Drinks and much more

Lawson convenience store in Osaka, Japan

What can you buy at convenience stores in Japan? In this post I’ll share a look into Japna’s convenience stores and what food, drinks and other products you can buy there. Convenience stores like Lawson, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Ministop are great places to freshen up when hanging outdoors for several hours. I usually use them to drink a morning coffee, but a fresh sandwich, get a cold beer or just a get a snack.

Today I entered Lawson store in Shin-imamiya, not far from the hostel. I grabbed a steamed Nikuman bun. However, I wanted to share with you some of the things you can buy at those convenience stores like Lawson in Japan.

OK, let’s take a look.

Fresh & Tasty Sandwiches

The first thing I bought when I first came to Japan are those fresh and tasty sandwiches. There is no such thing as “from yesterday”, everything is super fresh and tasty. However, later on, I start shopping at the MEGA Don Quijote, because it’s much cheaper. I can just put something in the refrigerator and take it with me in the bag.

Prepared tasty sandwiches at Lawson
Prepared fresh and tasty sandwiches at Lawson.

Boxed Ready-made Meals

Sometimes after hours outside, I like to pick up one of those ready-made meals. It costs around ¥300-600 (~$2.8-$5.60), more or less, depends on the type of dish served. At the cashier, they give you a napkin and chopsticks. So you are all set for launch.

You can find also sushi, which is my favorite dish to eat at launch when I am outdoors. It’s light, tasty and of course fresh. Just make sure you get one that comes with a soy sauce and ginger because it’s taste best that way.

Boxed ready-made meals
Boxed ready-made meals at Lawson convenience store, Osaka Japan.

Hot & Cold Drinks

There are plenty of hot and cold drinks you can pick up at Lawson, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and all the other convenience stores.  S small coffee will cost you around ¥100 (~$0.93 USD). You can add sugar, milk, and syrup if you like. Sometimes it’s self-service, in some shops, the salesman will make it for you.

Sweat cold drinks at Lawson convenience store
Sweat cold drinks at Lawson convenience store near me.

There are usually also a large selection of cold Japanese beers. I personally take The Premium Malt’s, Sapporo or Asahi.

Delicious Desserts & Sweets

You can find delicious Japanese deserts, not just super tasty, but made in style. Sometimes I just like to grab one the way home and have a minute of sweet enjoyment before starting to work.

Delicious Japanese desserts at Lawson store, Osaka
Delicious Japanese desserts at Lawson store, Osaka.

I am not talking about cheap snacks, which you also have if you want, but high-quality boutique-style deserts. Like the one, you see in the image below.  For a moment I thought I am in a boutique bakery in Paris

Ice Creams and Popsicle

If you want to get refreshed, you can buy yourself a popsicle or ice cream. The selection is excellent and they have some amazing tastes by the way. This Japanese popsicle is my favorite but I don’t have the name in English for it.

Frozen ice creams and Popsicle at Lawson
Frozen ice creams and Popsicle at Lawson store – Osaka, Japan.

This is my favorite part of the store in hot humid days. I mean, one the first day when I came to Osaka, I entered those stories like every hour because it was so humid. These are great refreshers!

Hot Light Meals

Among the hot light meals, you can pick up some marinated meat skewers for around 100 to 200 Yen. The Chuuka-man (Nikuman) buns are must-try, absolutely delicious. The Oden is also healthy and very recommended, especially if you want a light meal in the evening.

The selection is very large and the first time you get to Japan, you just enjoy walking around, trying to find the things you want to taste first.

Much More Than That

There is much more than that of course. In many of these convenience stores in Japan, you can find cosmetic items. For example, deodorants, nail scissors, shaving blades, etc.

Many have local Japanese magazines and newspapers. Some places also offer places to sit down and enjoy your food at the store and not outside. It’s not polite walking and eating, so it’s better to either eat and drink outside of the store or sit and finish your meal there.

I can’t share all of those things for obvious reasons, because the selection of food and other items is large and differ from store to store.

Bottom line is that if you are outdoors and you need to freshen up. You can always stop by at one of these convenience stores and grab something you like. They are almost in every corner, so you won’t find it hard to spot one.

P.S., regarding delivery, I don’t think they do deliveries. But I’ll ask next time.

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