This chain’s 100-yen pasta and noodle dishes are just the thing when you’re looking to stretch your budget.
As we’ve often mentioned, convenience stores in Japan are pretty awesome. Not only are they stocked with all sorts of snacks and drinks, you can actually get sandwiches, rice balls, and bento boxed lunches of pretty good quality at reasonable prices.
The biggest convenience store chains in Japan are 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson, but should you ever find yourself with the opportunity to stop into a branch of Seico Mart, you definitely should. See, while all Japanese convenience stores offer great value-for-money, Seico Mart has what might be the greatest deal of all: pre-made pasta dishes priced at just 100 yen (US$0.90)!
Even after you factor in Japan’s eight-percent consumption tax, each serving of Seico Mart pasta is still just 108 yen, which is less than a dollar at the current exchange rate. There’s actually a lot of variety in this extremely budget-friendly lineup, too.
On our trip to Seico Mart, we picked up chicken pepperoncino…
…creamy carbonara…
…chicken tomato sauce…
…Napolitan tomato sauce…
…and cream sauce with imitation crab.
Seico Mart even has a few Japanese-noodle options for 100 yen, like stir-fried pork yakiudon…
…and jaja yakisoba with minced meat and miso.
At 100 yen each, we weren’t expecting much in the flavor department, but it turns out Seico Mart’s pasta is pretty satisfying. The pepperoncino with chicken was one of the standouts in our taste test, with nice, firm noodles and juicy chunks of meat.
The carbonara, another high point of our Seico Mart raid, was creamy and flavorful, making it far better than we’d imagined something this cheap could be.
The vast majority of Seico Mart’s branches are in its home prefecture of Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands. The chain has been making some moves at moving southward, though, and it now has a handful of stores in Ibaraki as well as Saitama, the prefecture that neighbors Tokyo to the north. Here’s hoping the expansion continues, so that budget-conscious travelers and pasta fans all over the country can enjoy this lineup that both pleases the palate and is easy on the wallet.
Related: Seico Mart location finder
Photos ©RocketNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]
This mouthwatering sushi is all from one of Japan’s greatest convenience stores【Photos】
We taste makunouchi bento at four Japanese convenience store chains【Taste comparison】
Blown all your cash on anime? New restaurant in Akihabara has pasta for less than two bucks
Japanese convenience store pasta called “a monstrosity” by foreigners online
New convenience store chain to rival 7-Eleven opens in Japan
Japan’s instant ramen snack theme park features an athletic course even adults can enjoy
Pizza Hut Japan’s drinkable curry pizza is here – Is it all we dreamed it would be?[Taste test]
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Bizarre Japanese vending machine sells “Peace and Equality” and “Angels and Demons”
Starbucks Japan hoping fans will go bananas for its new mottainai banana affogato Frappuccino
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Man in Japan calls in bomb threat because he doesn’t want to go to his own work farewell party
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on it
Hundreds of rose bushes in bloom at Tokyo’s off-the-beaten-path, next-to-the-tracks flower street
Studio Ghibli’s president is leaving the company. Will it change how they make anime?
Let’s hike a Japanese mountain (that isn’t Mt. Fuji) – Mt. Tsukuba[Photos]
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japanese convenience stores have tasty, diet-friendly meals, like these three under 500 calories
Japan’s “edible tear gas ramen” lives up to its name【Taste test】
The dream of all-you-can-eat Japanese convenience store fried chicken is now a reality
Cheapest convenience store bento ever? This boxed lunch warms the heart for less than two bucks
Vegan hamburger steak rice bowls added to over 1,900 convenience stores in Tokyo
25 different Japanese convenience store sandwiches – What’s inside them?【Photos】
Japanese convenience store teriyaki donut hamburgers are definitely weird, but are they good?
Nintendo’s Kirby zooms into Japanese convenience stores Family Mart’s Super Satisfied Fest
Japan super budget dining – What’s the best way to spend 1,000 yen at Family Mart?
Tokyo convenience store has full bar inside with Japanese whiskey, will smoke your combini snacks
Ultimate Japan Super Budget Dining! Our very best 1,000-yen chain restaurant meals this year
Which Japanese convenience store sells the best butter chicken?【Taste test】
Which Japanese convenience store sells the best onigiri rice balls?【Taste test】
Japanese convenience store releases a new bento sandwich, but is it better than a bento rice ball?