oh konbini.
you're on practically every corner of this city ー okay, of this country ー and i miss you when i'm not in japan.
the home of delicious limited edition snacks. of piping hot nikuman and oden in the winter. of alcohol and premium coffee. of bento and breads and desserts.
oh konbini! you're there when i'm dying of thirst in the summer. you're there at 2 am when i'm drunk and looking for some instant ramen. you're there when i'm looking for concert tickets. and you're there to hold my packages.
they hold the sum of japan within their walls ー truly remarkable as most konbini aren't even that big.
the major konbini here in hiroshima are:
☆ family mart (or famima)
☆ seven eleven (or sebun)
☆ lawson
☆ sunkus (or circle K)
☆ poplar (poplar isn't a HUGE national chain like the top 4 here -- they also make their own rice in-store for their bento, so you get warm fluffy rice when you buy them and it makes ALL the difference)
☆ daily yamazaki (owned by the yamazaki bread company)
☆ coco! (they have fresh baked breads in-store -- YUM!)
biggest brand names are definitely those top 4 though. you can probably find them anywhere in japan.
interestingly enough, the nickname for seven eleven is different in the kansai area than for hiroshima. they call it sebu-ire, taking the first two letters of the japanese for seven eleven, which is sebun-irebun. fun!
the major konbini here in hiroshima are:
☆ family mart (or famima)
☆ seven eleven (or sebun)
☆ lawson
☆ sunkus (or circle K)
☆ poplar (poplar isn't a HUGE national chain like the top 4 here -- they also make their own rice in-store for their bento, so you get warm fluffy rice when you buy them and it makes ALL the difference)
☆ daily yamazaki (owned by the yamazaki bread company)
☆ coco! (they have fresh baked breads in-store -- YUM!)
biggest brand names are definitely those top 4 though. you can probably find them anywhere in japan.
interestingly enough, the nickname for seven eleven is different in the kansai area than for hiroshima. they call it sebu-ire, taking the first two letters of the japanese for seven eleven, which is sebun-irebun. fun!
here's a list of all the things you can do (that i know of, anyway) at konbini:
★ mail stuff! packages, nengajou (new years cards), letters, takkyubin, etc
★ buy concert/event tickets
★ buy magazines
★ buy porny magazines
★ pay your bills (gas, electricity...etc)
★ buy cigarettes
★ buy alcohol -- from canned chu-hi to bottles of wine and whiskey and nihonshu, look no further for your alcoholic needs
★ make copies
★ print pictures
★ get soft serve (at least you can at sunkus)
★ buy basic toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, face wash, bath salts, etc)
★ buy basic make-up
★ buy stockings, shirts (not at all of them, but some)
★ get ready-made (cold) food! bento, onigiri, oden, pasta, noodles, salads, sandwiches, side dishes (potato salad, simmered veggies, etc), breads, gyoza, and much more. don't worry, they'll heat it up for you too!
★ get instant ramen! of like every variety! and there are a LOT!
★ get ice cream
★ get dessert! HUGE trend in konbini nowadays is uchi-cafe or "cafe at home" which means slightly nicer quality private-brand (PB) desserts that you take home and eat (rather than going to a cafe) -- uchi-cafe is actually a lawson brand, but other konbini are ALL doing it now (sunkus is cherie dolce, family mart has sweets＋,poplar has the hito tema series, and seven eleven doesn't have a brand name for it, but they're all over it too)
★ get money! you can find ATMs at nearly all konbini lately
★ get pens and paper and other things stationary
★ buy shuugi-bukuro and fushuugi-bukuro -- these are envelopes specifically for money given on occasions such as weddings, celebrations, having a child, or funerals
★ get energy drinks! millions of them! (and anti-hangover drinks)
★ buy laundry detergent, dish soap, and other cleaning products
★ get fresh ground coffee (and other cafe drinks!) -- this is also like the latest thing
★ buy CANDY! because that's half the fun of konbini! seasonal stuff and new line ups come in about every month, so it's really fun to browse
★ NIKUMAN! ...need i say more? these warm, fluffy buns are usually filled with ground beef and veggies, but they have a lot of different varieties like pizza-man, curry-man, chashu-man...oh, and only during the fall/winter months
★ get fireworks -- only during the summer months, but hey! fireworks!
★ get hot ready-made food! fried chicken, hot dogs, fries, menchi katsu, korokke, oden... selection varies depending on the konbini
★ get frozen food! pizzas, pastas, udon, takoyaki, ice cream, you name it!
★ buy fresh produce -- not at all konbini, mind you, but at some you can find vegetables and fruits as well as eggs, tofu, etc
★ get drinks! i'm talking non-alcoholic here -- teas (green, black, red, sweetened, unsweetened, etc), coffee (lots of coffee; mostly in cans), fruit juices, smoothies, yogurt drinks, sports drinks, water, sodas, milk...
see? SEE?? you can do everything! and i probably haven't even listed it all!
if you're one of those people who really love going to the grocery store and browsing (like me) then you'll LOVE konbini. but they are kinda dangerous on an empty stomach (much like the grocery store).
most major konbini also have their own kind of point card/prepaid card for quick and easy payment. in a cash society, fumbling for change while you're in a hurry isn't much fun -- so they have cards that you put money onto and then use for payment at the register. cards can be charged at any of their store locations and you also get points for every X amount of yen you spend. these points can be converted into actual yen.
for example, seven eleven's nanaco card gives you 1 point for every 100 yen you spend (so like 1 point for every dollar) and you can turn 1 point into 1 yen, so if i have 400 points, i can use them as 400 yen (so 1 point can be turned into a penny). i know it sounds kinda piddly, i mean 100 yen for 1 point, and that point only gets me 1 yen? but seriously, these ADD UP. especially if you're in the habit of going to konbini daily like...all of japan is. you can also earn points at other affiliated stores too. japan LOVES point cards -- i really need to post about that, too. but usually they're free or very minimum cost to join, and are really worth it if you're a heavy user.
oh konbini... what would we do without you?
i hope i never have to find out.
★ mail stuff! packages, nengajou (new years cards), letters, takkyubin, etc
★ buy concert/event tickets
★ buy magazines
★ buy porny magazines
★ pay your bills (gas, electricity...etc)
★ buy cigarettes
★ buy alcohol -- from canned chu-hi to bottles of wine and whiskey and nihonshu, look no further for your alcoholic needs
★ make copies
★ print pictures
★ get soft serve (at least you can at sunkus)
★ buy basic toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, face wash, bath salts, etc)
★ buy basic make-up
★ buy stockings, shirts (not at all of them, but some)
★ get ready-made (cold) food! bento, onigiri, oden, pasta, noodles, salads, sandwiches, side dishes (potato salad, simmered veggies, etc), breads, gyoza, and much more. don't worry, they'll heat it up for you too!
★ get instant ramen! of like every variety! and there are a LOT!
★ get ice cream
★ get dessert! HUGE trend in konbini nowadays is uchi-cafe or "cafe at home" which means slightly nicer quality private-brand (PB) desserts that you take home and eat (rather than going to a cafe) -- uchi-cafe is actually a lawson brand, but other konbini are ALL doing it now (sunkus is cherie dolce, family mart has sweets＋,poplar has the hito tema series, and seven eleven doesn't have a brand name for it, but they're all over it too)
★ get money! you can find ATMs at nearly all konbini lately
★ get pens and paper and other things stationary
★ buy shuugi-bukuro and fushuugi-bukuro -- these are envelopes specifically for money given on occasions such as weddings, celebrations, having a child, or funerals
★ get energy drinks! millions of them! (and anti-hangover drinks)
★ buy laundry detergent, dish soap, and other cleaning products
★ get fresh ground coffee (and other cafe drinks!) -- this is also like the latest thing
★ buy CANDY! because that's half the fun of konbini! seasonal stuff and new line ups come in about every month, so it's really fun to browse
★ NIKUMAN! ...need i say more? these warm, fluffy buns are usually filled with ground beef and veggies, but they have a lot of different varieties like pizza-man, curry-man, chashu-man...oh, and only during the fall/winter months
★ get fireworks -- only during the summer months, but hey! fireworks!
★ get hot ready-made food! fried chicken, hot dogs, fries, menchi katsu, korokke, oden... selection varies depending on the konbini
★ get frozen food! pizzas, pastas, udon, takoyaki, ice cream, you name it!
★ buy fresh produce -- not at all konbini, mind you, but at some you can find vegetables and fruits as well as eggs, tofu, etc
★ get drinks! i'm talking non-alcoholic here -- teas (green, black, red, sweetened, unsweetened, etc), coffee (lots of coffee; mostly in cans), fruit juices, smoothies, yogurt drinks, sports drinks, water, sodas, milk...
see? SEE?? you can do everything! and i probably haven't even listed it all!
if you're one of those people who really love going to the grocery store and browsing (like me) then you'll LOVE konbini. but they are kinda dangerous on an empty stomach (much like the grocery store).
most major konbini also have their own kind of point card/prepaid card for quick and easy payment. in a cash society, fumbling for change while you're in a hurry isn't much fun -- so they have cards that you put money onto and then use for payment at the register. cards can be charged at any of their store locations and you also get points for every X amount of yen you spend. these points can be converted into actual yen.
for example, seven eleven's nanaco card gives you 1 point for every 100 yen you spend (so like 1 point for every dollar) and you can turn 1 point into 1 yen, so if i have 400 points, i can use them as 400 yen (so 1 point can be turned into a penny). i know it sounds kinda piddly, i mean 100 yen for 1 point, and that point only gets me 1 yen? but seriously, these ADD UP. especially if you're in the habit of going to konbini daily like...all of japan is. you can also earn points at other affiliated stores too. japan LOVES point cards -- i really need to post about that, too. but usually they're free or very minimum cost to join, and are really worth it if you're a heavy user.
oh konbini... what would we do without you?
i hope i never have to find out.
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