Why the konbini is your best friend
Japanese convenience stores are nothing like the sad ones back home. The big three — 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart — are clean, bright, open around the clock, and stocked with food that's actually fresh and tasty. A rice ball (onigiri) is cheap and filling, the bento boxes are real meals, the fried chicken at the counter is a national obsession, and the convenience-store coffee is shockingly good for the price. When you land jet-lagged at midnight, the konbini is open. When it rains, they sell umbrellas. When your phone dies, some sell chargers. Think of it as a basecamp you'll visit several times a day, not just a backup.
- Each chain has signature items: Lawson is famous for its fried chicken (karaage-kun) and premium 'Uchi Cafe' sweets; FamilyMart for its 'Famichiki' chicken; 7-Eleven for coffee and consistent food quality.
- Onigiri (rice balls) are the perfect cheap breakfast or snack — the wrapper is engineered to keep the seaweed crisp until you open it.
- Hot food at the front counter (chicken, oden in winter, steamed buns) is ordered by pointing — no Japanese needed.
Getting cash: konbini ATMs that take foreign cards
Japan is still surprisingly cash-friendly, and the most reliable way for a foreigner to get yen is a convenience-store ATM. The 7-Bank ATMs inside every 7-Eleven, and the ATMs at Japan Post (yuucho) branches and some FamilyMarts, accept foreign Visa/Mastercard and many other cards. The machines switch to English with one tap, walk you through it clearly, and run 24/7. This is far more dependable than hunting for a bank — many domestic Japanese bank ATMs reject foreign cards outright.
- Tell your bank you're travelling to Japan before you go, so the withdrawal isn't flagged as fraud.
- Withdraw a decent chunk at once — there's usually a small per-transaction fee, so fewer larger pulls beats many tiny ones.
- Keep some cash on you at all times: small shops, some restaurants, shrines, lockers, and many vending machines are still cash-only.
What else the konbini quietly does
Beyond food and cash, the konbini is a one-stop utility shop. The toilets are clean, free, and usually available just by asking — a lifesaver when you're out all day. You can pay utility bills and buy tickets for concerts, buses, and attractions at the in-store machine or counter. They have copiers that scan, print, and make photocopies (handy for boarding passes or reservation confirmations). They sell rain umbrellas, basic toiletries, socks, phone cables, batteries, and stamps. You can even ship luggage via takkyubin courier from many of them.
- Need the toilet? Ask staff: 'Toire wa doko desu ka?' (Where's the toilet?). It's normal and they expect it.
- The multifunction copier prints from a USB stick or via a phone app — useful if a hotel needs a printed document.
- Larger konbini have a small seating counter (eat-in) — convenient, but note eat-in items can be taxed slightly differently.
How checkout works
It's quick and low-stress. Grab a basket if you're getting more than a couple of things, then set the whole basket on the counter — the cashier unloads it. They'll scan everything and tell you the total (the amount also shows on a little screen facing you, so you don't need to catch the number by ear). Pay with cash, a tap of an IC card (Suica/PASMO), or a contactless credit card. Plastic bags now cost a few yen and are not automatic — the cashier will ask if you want one. For a hot drink or chilled meal they'll often pop in a tiny straw or chopsticks/spoon and ask if you'd like it heated.
- Place your money or card in the small tray on the counter rather than into the cashier's hand — that's the local custom.
- Have your IC card ready to tap; it's the fastest way to pay for small purchases.
- Bring your own tote to skip the bag charge — Japan is cutting down on plastic and locals do this.
- Don't hand cash directly to the cashier — use the tray.
- Don't assume a bag is included; if you want one you may need to say so or nod when asked.
- Don't tip — it's not expected anywhere in Japan and can cause confusion.
Heating, chopsticks, and the questions you'll get asked
When you buy a bento, a chilled pasta, or a bun, the cashier will likely ask a couple of quick questions in Japanese: whether to heat it up, and whether you need chopsticks/a spoon/a fork. You don't need to understand the exact words — they'll often gesture or you can just answer with the universal yes/no. For 'yes, please' say 'onegaishimasu'; for 'no, I'm fine' say 'daijoubu desu' (lit. 'it's okay', widely used to politely decline). The heated bento comes back warm in under a minute — perfect for eating at your hotel or on a park bench.
- 'Atatamemasu ka?' is the heat-it-up question — answer 'hai, onegaishimasu' (yes please) or 'daijoubu desu' (no thanks).
- 'Ohashi' = chopsticks; if they ask and you want them, 'hai, onegaishimasu' works.
- If you're confused, a smile plus 'onegaishimasu' (please) or 'daijoubu desu' (no thanks) covers almost every counter question.
Vending machines: hot AND cold, everywhere
Japan has a vending machine roughly every few steps — for drinks, almost all of them. The genius part: many sell both hot and cold versions of the same can or bottle. The color of the label and the little button/strip under each product tells you which: a red label or red price strip means 'atatakai' (hot), and a blue one means 'tsumetai' (cold). So in winter you can buy a hot canned coffee or hot tea straight from the street, and in summer an ice-cold water or sports drink. Pay with coins (¥10 up to ¥500), small banknotes (¥1000 notes are usually fine), or just tap an IC card on machines that support it. Drop in money or tap, the available buttons light up, press your choice, and it drops down. Many machines also dispense change and have a small rubbish bin beside them for the empty.
- Red = hot (あたたかい / atatakai), blue = cold (つめたい / tsumetai). Match the color to what you want before pressing.
- Hot canned coffee and hot tea in winter is one of Japan's small joys — try it.
- IC card (Suica/PASMO) makes vending trivial: tap, press, done — no fumbling for coins.
- If a button isn't lit after you pay, that item is sold out; pick another.
- Eat or drink standing near the machine and bin the empty there — walking while eating/drinking is mildly frowned upon, and street bins are rare.
Decoding the cashier's questions at the register
Convenience-store and counter staff fire off a fixed set of polite questions, and they sound fast. The big ones: 温めますか (atatamemasu ka, shall I heat it?), 袋はご利用ですか (fukuro wa go-riyou desu ka, want a bag?), お箸はおつけしますか (ohashi wa otsuke shimasu ka, add chopsticks?), and 店内でお召し上がりですか (tennai de omeshiagari desu ka, eat in or take out?). You only need two answers: 'onegai shimasu' for yes and 'daijoubu desu' for no — learn to recognise the question, not produce it.