Our reporter shares which version of this classic style of bento (all for 430 yen/US$3.83 or under) overwhelmingly stole his heart and stomach.
Family mart (Page 11)
We test our luck with a new nine-person party snack that threatens to shoot our taste buds with wasabi.
Leaping into action and clearing Japan’s already high bar for customer service in an amazing way.
Family Mart’s newest drink campaign shoots for the moon and promises a rainbow of dreamy starshine flavors.
Shelf-stocking technique has some saying they’ll never shop at the branch, or even the chain, again.
Chain asserts its right to exhibit magazines filled with models who don’t cover up either.
Courageously protecting Japan with the aid of garrison-exclusive convenience store meals and socks.
As Japan continues to make an ice cream flavor of every conceivable thing, the limited Ottotto Ice is now only available at Family Mart.
Convenience stores in Japan are often like mini supermarkets, but this one near one of Shinto’s holiest shrines also feels like a time machine.
Organizations don’t want bare-all periodicals to have to hide under obscuring plastic covers.
In his ongoing search for the perfect affordable-but-stylish ensemble, our fashion reporter Seiji Nakazawa sets his sights on a major convenience store chain.
Okinawa, the tropical island at the southern end of Japan, is known for its unique culture and tasty foods like soki soba (Okinawa noodles) and rafuti (sweet stewed pork). Another local specialty Okinawa is famous for is the alcoholic drink awamori, a distilled drink made from long-grain rice.
While the beverage has its fans across Japan, it also has enough of a distinct flavor that some people consider it a bit of an acquired taste. So you can imagine it came as somewhat of a surprise when we found out that they sell an alcoholic coffee drink in Okinawa that is infused with awamori, and at a convenience store chain, no less. We definitely had to try this!
Did you know that FamilyMart sells 108 yen (US$0.90) packets of “roasted shellfish strings?” They’re made from Hokkaido-raised scallops, and just like clams and oysters, scallops can produce pearls underwater. Even the packages come with this warning: “please be careful not to swallow any pearls that the shellfish may have produced while you eat them.”
Well that’s a challenge if we ever heard one! We bought 21 packets of roasted shellfish strings and went on a pearl diving adventure. Did we end up finding one? Read on to find out!
In a lot of ways, convenience stores in Japan are more like miniature supermarkets. So while they still sell a lot of the candy and canned beverages their counterparts in other countries specialize in, you can also find plenty of edible, even gourmet-sounding food.
For example, the chain FamilyMart sells pouches of fried scallop meat, specifically the mantle, or part of the animal that attaches it to its shell. There’s a certain level of risk that comes with eating any mass-produced foodstuff, though, as one customer found out when he found what he felt was a foreign object in his pack of marine mollusks. And while generally the only thing you want to find in your food is, well, food, we suppose if we had to find something else mixed in there, we’d want what he discovered hiding in his snack: a pearl.
Like with wine, there are variations in flavor between different types of Japanese sake. However, it can be kind of tough to pick up on the subtle differences unless you’re drinking them back to back. Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for prices for anything other than the house sake at restaurants to start at about 800 yen (US $6.75), so putting together your own sampling set can get pricey.
But if you’re looking for a budget-friendly way to dip you toes in the wide, wonderful world of sake, convenience store Family Mart is here to help, with its new lineup of affordably priced canned sake.
MOST POPULAR
Today
Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
This beautiful rural Japan river is a great alternative to touristy summer retreats [Photos]
Kumamoto earthquake may have created Japan’s newest hot spring inside flooded restaurant [Video]
Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
End of a manga era as Weekly Shonen Jump’s circulation drops under one million
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Studio Ghibli unveils new finger puppets featuring anime characters from My Neighbour Totoro
Tired of city life? Try out Japanese rural life for a few days on an active volcano in Kagoshima
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Weekly
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy- Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show- New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
7-Eleven Japan adds new chocolate fruit gummies to its sweets range, but are they worth the hype?- Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]- Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
Monthly
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films- Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in Japan- Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo- Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]- Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
RECOMMENDED STORIES
End of a manga era as Weekly Shonen Jump’s circulation drops under one million
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Studio Ghibli unveils new finger puppets featuring anime characters from My Neighbour Totoro
Tired of city life? Try out Japanese rural life for a few days on an active volcano in Kagoshima
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
This Japanese chopping board sanitising bag might be the handy kitchen gadget we never knew we needed
Japan’s new difficult-to-drink-from beer glass protects your liver, but it’s a brutal experience
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese convenience store food gets turned into hyper-realistic stationery you can peel open
Japanese convenience store Lawson now has stir-fried noodle-cooking robot chefs
7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store drinks with new Grilled Corn Chilled Soup Smoothie
Coco’s Japan is very confident in their chilled ramen, but should they be? [Taste test]
Resident Evil’s terrifying Licker becomes a bag in Japan that wants to feed you
-
