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AnAverageOutdoorsman t1_iv54f0t wrote

Japanese convenience stores are next level.

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app4that t1_iv56g0w wrote

Haven’t been to Japan but 7-11in Denmark made me think how poor and disgusting our stores in the US are. The quality, value and lovely arrangement of the fresh sandwiches there and the level of cleanliness in the ubiquitous 7-11’s over there was a revelation

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AnAverageOutdoorsman t1_iv56yfn wrote

Yeah, the convenience stores over there are more or less as you described those in Denmark. Also, the Japanese ones are truly convenience stores catering to a 24/7 society.

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hennypennypoopoo t1_iv6mofc wrote

made me realize that stores supported by foot traffic are cleaner and better in general

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Hole-In-Six t1_iv8hfok wrote

Except in the US where it's the exact opposite, magnets for the dirty and deranged?

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rowrowfightthepandas t1_iv74zd4 wrote

Be sure to try the karaage if you ever find yourself there.

Convenience store karaage is something else.

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[deleted] t1_iv51fuo wrote

[deleted]

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TomFromCupertino t1_iv5ax16 wrote

Came to make similar observation about 7-11 and FamilyMart in Taipei and Thailand. Both are clean, well-lighted places to get what you need. American places, last I darkened their doorstep, were good places to get a lotto ticket and a gallon of milk that has the minimum legally viable shelf life. Oh, and a pack of smokes. And some super sugary drink. And a cup of coffee, not complaining about that.

I got a star wars coffee cup from a 7-11 in Taipei a couple years ago. It's cool (horrible as a coffee cup...but still).

But even there...American 7-11s, you get the coffee from some ancient Bunn machine that makes it in batches when the attendant has time to get around to it. It's fine for the first 10 min's, then it goes off, real fast. The machine in Taipei is like next generation and probably that stuff gets flushed down a drain after so many minutes exposed to oxygen (but it's kept in a tank until it's dispensed so for all I know, there's no oxygen exposure between brew and dispense times). It probably helped that 90% of the people that go there for coffee are people that live right there in mid-rise apartments and hell yeah they've got time for you to make a fresh pot and "don't try to sell me this crap again". I never got coffee (and aforementioned smokes) in a convenience store that I wasn't on my way somewhere and wouldn't notice the stale coffee until I was in the car.

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pingieking t1_iv5bye3 wrote

These stores also make for great AC hopping stops during summer.

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keepbanningme99 t1_iv543je wrote

Fake news. 7-11 was a part time job

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markkymark81 t1_iv55edi wrote

I miss Japanese 7-11 so much!

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tyce2020 t1_iv55tb6 wrote

A bit skewed towards the end in not sticking to 10yr steps..

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paradigm619 t1_iv59v4t wrote

7-11 in Japan is so legit. I would never buy food from a 7-11 in the US, but I would seriously eat 3 meals a day from there in Japan. Sushi hand rolls are next level.

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AdminsAreLazyID10TS t1_iv78vgi wrote

It's kind of a self fulfilling prophecy. No one buys gas station food, so gas station food is stale and bad, so no one buys it.

Though rural stores are worth checking out, sometimes they're the only "fast food" store in town and can have some hidden gems.

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thiswittynametaken t1_iv83it4 wrote

Some of the best food and the worst food I've ever had has come from rural convenience stores.

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TioTijuana t1_iv588py wrote

Used to be a Lawson boy but over the years I’ve switched to 7-11. Literally just walked out of one to get me a little Dars chocolate after dinner.

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Equal-Crew-3367 OP t1_iv4zu9x wrote

Source: Usui, Kazuo. Marketing and Consumption in Modern Japan

Tools: Canva

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Bigelwood9 t1_iv5c9k0 wrote

I loved grabbing weird ice-cream at the Japanese 7-11. Lawsons was alright they sold wrestling tickets.

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MrOobling t1_iv5dze3 wrote

I'd love to see this graph with other Japanese convenience stores and supermarkets, particularly zoomed in around the COVID pandemic. I feel like they exploded over that short period, as prior to COVID in Japan, it was very common to have all 3 meals a day at a restaurant. Recently, I feel like I see so many more Life, Summit, Peacock etc... (as well as the high-end stores like Precce).

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iGrrRS t1_iv7iq4v wrote

You know what they say, “you should see me in the parking lot, 7-11 is the spot”.

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GeneralMe21 t1_iv58xh6 wrote

Funny thing is, I live in the US and the last time I was in a 7-11 was in Singapore years ago.

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Sa404 t1_iv59yjz wrote

That’s because they’re shit in the US

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ananxiouscat t1_iv5em7n wrote

the red dot seems so unnecessary and ugly as is, plus it doesn't contrast well with the title text.

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PlutoniumSlime t1_iv8r3xk wrote

It’s the Japanese flag, though I agree the opacity could be a little lower on it.

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Diamond_Road t1_iv5eriu wrote

That’s more than a store a day opening for over 42 years

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CBus660R t1_iv5irfg wrote

I find it very interesting how Lawson Station has its roots in a small regional brand from Ohio. As a kid, Lawson's chip dip was the best!

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jmwalker0498 t1_iv5smz9 wrote

Interesting, when I lived in Okinawa I never saw a 7-11, just FamilyMart and Lawson’s.

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Advanced_Book7782 t1_iv5u1dy wrote

I miss the US Lawson’s. Their store buildings were iconic.

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pokeypokex t1_iv5ysdc wrote

Lawsons karage kun is way better than nanachiki and fami chiki

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CalmCalmBelong t1_iv6h5cc wrote

The parent company of 7-11 also has branches of Seven Bank throughout Tokyo. One reason I suppose why the ATMs in Japanese 7-11s are ideal for withdrawing Japanese yen from an American bank account.

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WackSparrow t1_iv72x3b wrote

This is not a good sign at all

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corrupt_poodle t1_iv7do1t wrote

50,000 convenience stores for a place the size of California seems excessive.

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will477 t1_iv81o9z wrote

I was in Japan in 1996. Family Mart rocks. You can buy a whole meal and just heat it up in your hotel room. Good food too.

The 7/11 was kind of weird. At the location in the store where, in the US, they sell pizza, taquitos and such you will find deep fryers and other kitchen equipment and they make fried octopus and other stuff.

I have never been to the third one. Nor do I remember seeing one of those stores. I was in Toakai, working at JAERI. I only spent about a month there.

Man they had some awesome stores. There was a model shop I would go to on my way home from work. I would buy tons of Gundam and ship them home. I was not really a Gundam fan at the time, but my friends were. They cost about 10 percent in Japan of what they did in the US at the time.

The shop had some other awesome sci fi models which I did buy for myself. They also had some large Japanese castle models. I loved that place. And the arcade that in town. During the week it was mostly deserted so you could pretty much play anything.

That was an awesome trip. If you ever go, make sure to take a shopping trip at a train station. They pretty much have everything in them.

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Muscled_Daddy t1_iv8w4t1 wrote

Funny enough, this is how I’d rank the combinis too.

7-11 had the best selection by far. But Family Mart had famichiki, which was THE BEST drunk food.

And then there’s Lawson… they had a good apple fritt… oh wait that was family mart.

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Zulimations t1_iv9b3ht wrote

I was in japan this summer and all of these places are great. one of them sometimes every block and they serve actual good food that’s pretty damn cheap and i believe higher quality than american 7-eleven offerings. very convenient, I guess that is the point

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littleblkcat666 t1_iv75z3z wrote

is awesome in Japan and Hongkong. Not the shit we have here in the US

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