Feel-good story about a Japanese convenience store becomes one of the most unexpected surprises at the Olympics.

If you’ve ever visited Japan, you’ll know just how wonderful its convenience stores are. Unlike a lot of convenience stores overseas, the ones in Japan are warm, clean and inviting, with door chimes to welcome you and a wide array of pre-made meals that are such good quality they’ve earned the praise of famous foodies and international celebrities.

So when Canadian journalist Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) arrived in Tokyo to cover the Olympics for public broadcaster CBC he was pleased to discover a 7-Eleven just outside his hotel.

As soon as the reporter laid eyes on the 7-Eleven a week ago, he had a hunch he’d be spending a lot of money and time here, and he was right, because once he’d spied the iced coffees, and figured out how to use the coffee machine, a cup of convenience store joe became his daily go-to.

With so many people wishing they could experience the joys of a Japanese convenience store right now, Heroux’s 41,000 Twitter followers enjoyed living vicariously through him, giving his daily 7-Eleven updates hundreds of likes online.

Then came the snack, dinner and dessert updates, which had everyone yearning for convenience store food…

…and it didn’t take long for Heroux’s 7-Eleven updates to become even more popular than his Olympic updates.

Then, on 24 July, Heroux’s popularity suddenly exploded, reaching well beyond his followers to the rest of Japan when one Japanese Twitter user picked up on this series of tweets, uploaded after the opening ceremony, and translated them into Japanese.

Heroux’s delight at being able to eat a substantial meal at 2:00 a.m., after covering the Olympics opening ceremony at the stadium for 18 hours, enamoured people all around Japan. The translated tweets (seen below) quickly went viral, amassing over 34,000 likes and more than 18,000 retweets.

People across Japan embraced the tale of the convenience store lover with open arms, leaving comments like:

“I can relate to this feeling!”
“7-Eleven stores are incredibly different overseas, so I totally get this reporter’s reaction!”
“I’m so happy to hear about this!”
“These tweets are like poetry.”
“This makes me proud to be Japanese!”
“7-Eleven is truly God-like. Thank you for appreciating the convenience store!”

Heroux has since picked up a whole swathe of new followers from Japan who, like his followers from the rest of the world, are now eagerly awaiting more 7-Eleven updates.

▼ Heroux continues to deliver the news everyone is waiting for.

The feel-good story of an overseas reporter’s 7-Eleven updates has become one of the most unexpected surprises at the Olympics, and even Heroux himself is surprised by his newfound fame.

After all the disappointing scandals and price-gouging news tied to the Tokyo Olympics, it’s nice to finally find a wholesome, heartwarming story related to the Games. For more updates on the reporter’s convenience store visits, be sure to give Heroux a follow because there’s a lot to discover at 7-Eleven, including surprisingly tasty ramen and a machine where you can print postcards and photos from your phone!

Source: Twitter/@Devin_Heroux via Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Twitter/@Devin_Heroux
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