Japanese entrepreneur reimagines the convenience store with unique features for customers.

In the world of Japanese convenience stores, big players like Lawson, 7-Eleven and Family Mart tend to dominate the scene, muscling out smaller players with their popularity and making it difficult for any new names to enter the playing field.

However, a new convenience store chain called Minnaka is now stepping out in Japan, opening its first store in the city of Tokorozawa, in Tokyo’s neighbouring prefecture of Saitama on 1 August last year. Now, less than a year later, the chain has arrived in Tokyo, opening its doors in Higashi-Ikebukuro on 1 March.

▼ The new Tokyo location.

In the seven months since its debut, Minnaka has been making waves locally, with customers praising it for its unique vibe and surprising specials, which include Costco products and cheap Japanese bentos. It’s definitely worth a trip to experience it for yourself, and to get there, it’s just a seven-minute walk from the east exit of Ikebukuro Station.

▼ The store is located on the east side of this intersection.

Despite the heavy traffic, this is largely a residential area known for cheap rent, making it the perfect home for a budget-friendly convenience store chain like Minnaka.

▼ Minnaka sits on Meiji Street, in a location that was once a 100-yen shop.

When you step inside Minnaka, you’ll come across a security gate at the entrance. This isn’t something you’ll usually see at Japanese convenience stores, but it’s been put in place to ensure safety and efficiency at times when the store is unstaffed.

▼ These gates are equipped with facial recognition technology.

While most of the offerings inside are similar to what you’d find at most convenience stores, the top recommendations are the Japanese curry, which is priced at a super cheap 322 yen (US$2.16)…

▼ …the Minnaka Bento (322 yen)…

▼ …the Bonito & Ginger rice ball (106 yen)…

▼ …and the Costco dinner rolls (193 yen for a pack of six).

Yes, that’s right — this convenience store sells Costco products, with some of the other options being high rollers and cheese tarts.

▼ All this cost just 951 yen.

The curry rice has a much stronger flavour than most convenience store curries, and while there isn’t as much rice, the quality of the curry more than makes up for it.

The Minnaka bento contains a pork-and-vegetable stir-fry, pickles, vegetables, a slice of omelette, and a huge potato croquette. The stir-fry didn’t have a lot of seasoning when we tried it, which was a shame, but overall this was a good value-for-money bento.

The onigiri doesn’t have a conventional filling, as the ginger and bonito is mixed lightly through the rice instead. This saves on costs for both the chain and the consumer without compromising on flavour as it’s still a good-tasting rice ball.

▼ The manufacturer is listed as “Minnakakai”, Minnaka’s operating company.

The bread rolls are a fun introduction to Costco goods, giving the chain another unique edge on the main competitors. At night, it turns into an unstaffed convenience store, with a lock on the fridge containing alcoholic beverages that can be unlocked by those who register their proof of age on the store’s official Line account.

It’s certainly one of the most unique convenience stores you’ll find in Tokyo, and it’s all thanks to Tomoaki Iguchi, a prominent Japanese entrepreneur and businessman who founded the chain out of his fondness for convenience stores. It has the stamp of a convenience store lover all over it, with an individual feel that takes things into new territory, and we hope to see more of them popping up soon in other areas.

Store information
Minnaka Higashi Ikebukuro Store / ミンナカ東池袋店
Address: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Higashi-Ikebukuro 2-62-7
東京都豊島区東池袋2-62-7
Open: 24 hours every day

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