For anyone that has travelled to Japan, the local konbini is a way of life for millions of locals and tourists alike. Everyone might have they favourite store (Lawson, Family Mart, 7-11, etc), but I thought I would set this thread up to discuss the wonderful items you can get at your konbini. Each trip I usually try a few new things, but I usually have my staples for each meal. Hoping people can discuss what they like, found interesting, hated, or otherwise so others can give some new things a whirl on their upcoming trip. Some of my favourites: 1. Ice coffee - called Triplesso. Only available at Lawson’s from memory, but proper strength coffee and not overly sweet. My go-to when I can find it. 2. Fried chicken. Again, Lawson’s is pretty damn hard to beat. Think KFC chicken but better. Can be sickly filled with oil though, but so worth it. Most places will have a front hot box with fried goodness. I will add more as I think of them...
I often buy two onigiris = rice balls at 7-11, Lawson or Familymart before skiing. Salmon roe and tuna onigiri are always my favorite. All major convinis have both salmon roe and tuna onigiris. Two onigiris are "first lunch" when skiing. I mean, between 11am and 1pm, restaurants on ski slopes tend to be very crowded, so I eat two rice balls on lifts at 11am and have late lunch at a restaurant on a ski slope at 2pm. You need this kind of "Haramaki". I mean, if onigiri is iced, it's not yummy at all. So you need to keep warming onigiri with your belly
Umm the maple syrup infused pancakes... The best. Just nuke for 20sec. My daughter loves the corn dogs. These.. The perfect boiled egg.
I love the soft boiled egg. I like oden egg too. Major conbinis sell oden in winter time and I like oden egg. You'll see this during winter. This is Oden. Oden egg is about 90 Yen at major conbinis. About Oden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oden
I like fried curry breads of major convinis. Curry is inside the bread and the bread is fried, so the surface is nicely crispy too. All convinis have microwaves, so you can ask them to heat it. Hot fried curry breads in ski resorts can be addictive, especially spicy one that Lawson has. About curry bread: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_bread
At Lawsons, they have the regular onigiri (the very triangular ones where you rip the middle, and pull the ends to apply the nori (seaweed) to the rice ball), but they also have smoked salmon ones in rectangular wrapper that are delicious.
I agree. The rectangular ones are more expensive, but most people on this forum fly all the way to Japan from Australia, so they should choose better ones = rectangular ones at Lawson even though they are 30 - 50 yen more expensive than triangular ones. These are the rectangular ones = more expensive but more delicious. Triangular ones = cheaper ones
The pancakes with the butter and maple syrup sandwiched between them from 7-11. A fantastic breaky on the go.
Yakisobapan is a staple for me. Love a good kareepan. Kara age or generally anything fried. Washed down with a Beer, Kiri Ume Chuhi (the best!) or a casual strong.
You'll be interested to note that when you posted about these puppies a couple months back I took notes and saved the picture to assist me when next in japow.
For the last couple of japow trips (with car) my daughter and I have done serious conbini consumer comparisons. We voted 7-11 to have the best onigiri
I'm very partial to the pizza/beef/vegetarian bow that are usually in the hot cabinet next to the KFC. So tasty!
One trick I got told by a seasoned Japan goer was to buy one of those pizza wraps (usually on the fridge shelf next to the ham and cheese wraps), then take it to the counter where the attendant will heat it up for you. Next, buy a piece of fried chicken and insert into the pizza wrap...bingo, best cure for a hangover.
My daughter loves the UFO Yakisoba. It's like cuppa noodles, but it's not soup. You can get hot water at the conbini, she fills it, waits 4-5 min, then drain it out of the car door!!! Then adds the sauce.
Our kids have liked to throw in a piece of fried chicken as well at the end after water is removed, then sauce and mix.
Oh my God! They’ve set up a crepe van next to Elvis Kebabs in Hirafu this season. 2 nights in a row it’s been a drunken Strawberry and Cream Crepe on the way home from the pub.... Must. Stop. That. Behaviour. (Never got into the Ichigo Sand though)
It's no use posting something that the average reader can't read, unless you tell them what it is!!! This is called a "Kairo" or Cairo, which is a Japanese heat pack. Or in this case, it says "Ho-Kairo", which I think is the sticky version that sticks to your clothes. It also has a warning not to stick it directly to your skin. Kairo: カイロ Ho-Kairo: ホ カイロ Here are some other Ho-Kairo: And the regular non sticky versions:
Yes to the rectangular onigiri. But; I can never seem to leave without a pack of Meiji chocolate coated almonds. Yum. Steer clear of the bean doughnuts.
I am a Queenslander and prefer the Bauple nut over almond but for some reason I think almonds go better with chocolate.
