Quick answer

Konbini are everywhere, mostly open 24 hours, and the food is genuinely good. Vegetarians should read labels carefully. They also have ATMs, and many handle luggage forwarding.

I thought konbini would be a backup for water and snacks. Instead, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson became part of our routine almost every day.

Why they matter so much

  • They’re everywhere, even in small towns.
  • Most are open 24 hours.
  • The food is packed and labelled really carefully: ingredients, allergens, nutrition, dates.

You can grab food and drinks without planning your whole day around a restaurant.

What’s worth buying

  • Smoothies and bread at 7-Eleven. This was our usual order.
  • Rice balls (onigiri) and sandwiches → quick and cheap, but many have fish or meat.
  • Prepared meals and desserts → better than you’d expect.
  • Coffee and tea → cheaper than a cafe, and decent.
  • Big water bottles at FamilyMart → better value than buying small ones all day.

If you’re vegetarian, read everything

This is where it gets harder.

  • No veg or non-veg symbol on packets like in India.
  • Labels are in Japanese, so you need a translate app.
  • Staff can’t help much either, because they’d have to read the same list.

A lot of vegetarian travellers end up living on bread. It’s everywhere and usually meat-free, but it’s not much nutrition. My habit: add a smoothie or some fruit every day.

More on this in my vegetarian food guide.

Beyond food

  • ATMs → 7-Eleven’s are the most reliable for foreign cards.
  • Luggage forwarding → we sent our suitcase from a 7-Eleven in Hakone to our hotel in Kyoto. More in my luggage forwarding guide.
  • Basics → toiletries, chargers, umbrellas.
  • Seats → some stores have a small counter where you can sit and eat.

How checkout works

  • Queue properly. There’s one line, even in a small store.
  • Cash goes in a machine or a tray. Many stores have a machine at the counter where you insert notes and coins yourself. Otherwise, put cash in the small tray, not in the cashier’s hand.

My advice

Don’t treat konbini as a last resort. On busy days, build one meal around one. Keep some coins handy, and always check labels if you avoid meat or fish.