Japan: A Culture of Convenience
Japan is unlike any country in the world. Heck, Tokyo is unlike any metropolis in the world. One of the first things you’ll notice while you’re settling into the world’s largest metropolis is that there are convenience stores EVERYWHERE. According to my Japanese professor, there are over 7,000 convenience stores in Tokyo alone; that’s more than the number of Temples/Shrines in the city! The big three are 7-eleven (7-11), Lawson, and FamilyMart, and it’s common to find these stores within 100 feet of each other. Basically, convenience stores in Tokyo are like coffee shops to Seattle or Mexican restaurants to Los Angeles.
Convenience stores in Japan (and East Asia for that matter) are nothing like their American counterparts. You can get inexpensive, freshly prepared meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can also buy necessities at these stores, ranging from toilet paper, gloves, cleaning supplies, and even airline tickets. Probably the most convenient aspect of convenience stores in Japan is that you can take your bills, such as your health insurance bill (yes, you need to pay those in Japan) to your nearest 7-11 and pay in cash!
The first meal I ate in Japan after landing was a bowl of tempura udon at the 7-11 located just feet from my dorm in Takadanobaba. I was struck in awe at how insanely clean the store was, as well as their instrumental version of “Daydream Believer” playing in the background. Those noodles were so freaking good, a warm welcome to my new normal in Japan. I always stockpile on some 7-11 branded water, snack on delicious 7-11 brand potato chips, and have tried other delicious 7-11 goods. If I don’t go to 7-11, I usually go to the Lawson store located next to TUJ’s Azabu Hall where I usually order some kind of Ice Cream, sushi rolls, and other snacks. Recently, I’ve been ordering corn dogs from both stores and I’m amazed at the amount of breading they have! They’re great! Another convenience store is FamilyMart. Unlike 7-11 and Lawson, FamilyMart started out as a Japanese company. While I haven’t frequented FamilyMart as often as the other two, they have the best chicken out of the three. As of the time of this post, I have more fingers than the number of times I have visited a FamilyMart location.
But what makes Japan a culture of convenience in my book isn’t just the convenience stores, it’s also the amount of vending machines. As Paul Barbato (Geography Now!) once said, “vending machines are EVERYWHERE!” Just on my 5-minute walk between the dorm and Takadanobaba Station, I walk by at least 15 vending machines, serving cold drinks, hot drinks, cow piss (I meant Calpis), milk tea, green tea, even some selling cigarettes. There are vending machines that serve alcohol up until a certain hour and there are even some vending machines that sell used panties, but I have yet to see those around.
If you got stranded in the middle of rural Japan, odds are you would quickly find either a vending machine or a convenience store. Because of these two staples of Japan’s culture of convenience, it’s possible to spend a lifetime in Japan without speaking a single word of Japanese; although why anyone would want to subject themselves to that beats me.
Here are some quick facts about 7-11 and Lawson. Both companies originally started out as American companies. 7-11 was originally founded at Tote’m Stores out in Texas. The US division of the company is still headquarted in Texas. However, 7-11 is owned by Seven and I Holdings, based in Japan. 7-11 officially became a Japanese company back in the 90s when Ito-Yokado controlled a 70% stake in the company. Lawson, on the other hand, was founded by a dairy farmer in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Lawson Japan opened up in 1975 while the American Lawson stores, after several aquisitions by different companies such as Sara Lee, were eventually converted into Circle K stores. However, “Lawson’s Chip Dip” continues to be sold. More recently, Lawson locations have opened up in Hawaii, this time under Japanese ownership.
The other day (and another post), I visited Kawazu to see some cherry blossoms. While I was exploring the seven waterfalls of Kawazu, I found vending machines in the middle of the forrest! Later on, I also stumbled upon a 7-11 location located in virtually nowhere. Here are some pictures of vending machines.
