Japan guide

Out and about

Convenience stores (konbini)

7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson and others are on almost every corner, and many are open all night. For a visitor they're a food stop, a cash machine and a help desk in one.

7 steps · 3 common mistakes· Show in Japanese (3)
An aisle in a convenience store, with snacks and drinks on the shelves.

Photo: Byron Villegas / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

What you can do there

  • Buy meals, snacks, drinks and hot food from the counter.
  • Get cash: 7-Eleven stores have Seven Bank ATMs that take overseas cards.
  • Top up an IC card at the register, and pay with it.
  • Throw away rubbish from what you bought there.

Common mistakes

  • Using the store's toilet without asking — many ask you to tell staff first, and some have none.

At the register

At a convenience store counter, a shopper hands over a lunch box; the staff member offers to heat it in the microwave behind the counter.

Step by step

  1. Queue in one line and go to the register that calls you.

  2. If staff ask 「温めますか？」 (atatamemasu ka), they're offering to heat your food — nod or shake your head.

  3. Plastic bags cost a few yen. Say you don't need one, or ask for one.

  4. Put cash on the tray, or tap your card or IC card.

Common mistakes

  • Saying nothing when you'll eat in — the price for eating in includes more tax, so stores ask you to tell them.

Good to know: Food you eat in the store is taxed at 10%, takeaway at 8%. If there's an eat-in corner, tell the staff when you pay.

Eating your food

Step by step

  1. Use the eat-in corner if there is one.

  2. Otherwise take your food back to your room or a park bench — eating while walking is unusual.

  3. Sort your rubbish into the store's bins.

Common mistakes

  • Eating on the floor outside the entrance.

Find one near you

Opens your map app and searches around where you are. The Japanese is there to show someone if you need directions.

Sources

Sources (checked 2026-11-04). Facts, numbers and prices on this page come from these official pages.

  1. National Tax Agency軽減税率制度（飲食料品の譲渡と外食）Japanese(opens in a new tab)National Tax Agency: reduced tax rate for takeaway vs dining in
  2. Local governmentレジ袋有料化（愛知県）Japanese(opens in a new tab)Aichi Prefecture: charges for plastic shopping bags
  3. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)Japan Currency Exchange(opens in a new tab)JNTO: money and currency exchange in Japan
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