Only in Japan: convenience stores that are actually convenient

Before living in Japan, I wouldn't say that I'd ever pop into a convenience store just for fun. I've lived in Australia and the US, and convenience stores there have a reputation for being dirty, grimy places where the best food you're going to get is a questionably old hot dog or some greasy, fake-cheese nachos -- a resounding no, thank you. As for the restroom situation, the exception is finding a clean one, not the rule.

Japan is the gold medal winner of convenience stores actually being convenient.

You can probably imagine my surprise then when I first moved to Japan and discovered the Holy Trinity (7-11, Lawson, Family Mart). Our first Tokyo apartment was a stone's throw away from a Family Mart, and initially being too apprehensive to go straight into restaurants, convenience stores were where I would get a lot of stuff to eat. In a lot of countries that would probably sound pretty dire, but not here. Soba, fresh sandwiches, nikuman and pizzaman, yogurts, juices, coffee, fruit -- the list goes on, really. I've been solidly impressed with the quality and freshness of virtually every convenience store food I've tried, and I didn't even mention the bakery goods, desserts, and ice creams!

Back home, a convenience store dinner would be the stuff of nightmares. In Japan, there's plenty of choice, including loads of healthy options.

There are a whole host of other reasons why convenience stores here actually live up to their name. I touched on restrooms back home being dirty as the rule, and clean being the exception -- but here in Japan it's the opposite. I can count on one hand the number of gross bathrooms I've encountered at convenience stores here, and that's in almost 8 years of living here. It's reassuring, especially as a parent of two little ones, that I know wherever I go we're not far from a clean bathroom!

Did I mention I no longer own a printer, because I don't have a need for one? It's only occasionally that I need to print documents, but never fear -- I can pop down to my local 7-11 and do that there! I also print photos there quite a lot from the very same machine since it's so easy to do.

Then there's the help that convenience stores provide during the seasons. Forgot an umbrella when the skies have suddenly opened up? They've got you covered. Out and about exploring in the summer, but didn't realize the heat and humidity would hit you like a ton of bricks? Pop in and grab yourself a refreshing drink and a portable ice pack to take around with you! Unexpectedly cold in the wintertime, but don't have a pair of gloves to keep your hands from freezing? Yup - those can be found at most convenience stores, too.

Then there's the fact that you can ship packages from them, or buy tickets for concerts, theme parks, and other events there. They truly epitomize the "one stop shop" idea - and I'm so grateful for them.

It might sound silly, but as an expat I find that convenience stores are like a giant safety net -- and one that stretches all across the country. I struggle to think of another place that does convenience stores better than Japan.