The Konbini In My Hotel, What Was Actually There and a Fictitious Story

When I'm traveling in Japan, there are times I'll pick up breakfast, a snack or a light meal from a konbini.  The food quality is quite good, but I'll rarely eat a lunch or a dinner from them.  You only have so many meals, and there are too many restaurants to try.  While I did use the konbini in my hotel, I didn't go overboard there, so here is a story about Emily dining at the convenience store.  She is a completely fictitious character that doesn't resemble anyone living or dead as I just needed a name for a female character.

Emily, a tourist from Canada, was staying in a luxury hotel in Tokyo. To her surprise, she found out that the hotel had a Japanese konbini, a convenience store, inside. She had heard so much about the food in these stores and was curious, so she decided to have all her meals for the day from the konbini and post it on social media for her followers.

For breakfast, Emily went to the konbini and was amazed by the wide range of options available. She saw a variety of onigiri (rice balls) with different fillings such as salmon, tuna, and pickled vegetables. She also saw a few different types of instant noodles like miso soup and soba noodles. Emily decided to try a savory onigiri filled with tuna and mayo along with a hot bowl of instant miso soup and a hot cup of freshly ground coffee to go.  After breakfast, she went to visit some nearby shrines and took plenty of photographs before returning to the hotel.

For lunch, Emily wanted to try something light, so she went to the konbini and found an assortment of sandwiches and bento boxes. She decided to try a katsu sandwich, which was a tender, deep-fried pork cutlet sandwiched between two slices of fluffy white, milk bread with lettuce and tonkatsu sauce. It had been a choice between that or one of the delicious-looking egg salad sandwiches she had heard about instead.  She also grabbed a small bento box with sushi, tamagoyaki (rolled egg omelet), and a small side of edamame. To quench her thirst, Emily picked up a cold bottle of green tea.

Emily explored the tourist shopping area around the hotel for a few hours before returning to the hotel with her shopping bags. She felt a bit peckish and decided to have an afternoon snack. Back to the konbini she went.  This time she browsed the large range of snacks available. She saw everything from chocolate-covered almonds to wasabi-flavored chips. Emily decided to try a package of matcha-flavored Kit-Kats and a small bag of senbei (rice crackers) with a cup of hot tea.

For dinner, Emily was feeling adventurous and wanted to try something new. She went back to the konbini and found a variety of ready-to-eat meals like fried chicken, tempura, and even ramen. She decided to try the ramen, which came in a microwavable bowl with a separate packet of soup broth and toppings. Emily popped the bowl in the microwave and enjoyed a delicious bowl of hot ramen, garnished with slices of pork, green onions, and nori. To wash it all down, she grabbed a cold bottle of beer.

Throughout her day at the konbini, Emily noticed that there were also various drinks available, ranging from soda to beer to sake. She also saw a wide range of candy, including Pocky sticks, Hi-Chew, and various gummy candies.  Emily had a fantastic experience trying out the various offerings at the konbini inside her luxury hotel. She was amazed by the range and quality of food available, and loved the convenience of being able to grab a quick meal or snack on the go. She would definitely be visiting the konbini again during her stay in Tokyo.

That's it for the story.  Please enjoy the following pictures of from a real konbini that show the range of drinks, snacks, and food available for your eating pleasure.  This was from the convenience store in my hotel, a Family Mart, which was well run, and regularly stocked up.

A variety of beers and alcholic beverages.  They sell wine and whiskey too.  There are other fridges full of water, juice, pop, tea, and coffee.

Some delicious looking ham, katsu, and egg salad sandwiches.

Some tasty varieties of rice balls.  Salmone on the top and even a spam one on the bottom shelf.

All kinds of cup noodles.  Curry and the plain shoyu Cup Noodle are popular.

Instant udon noodle bowls with either fried tofu (green), or tempura (red).

Various types of savory wheat and rice crackers.

Baked goods such as pastries, sweet breads, and cakes.

Various savory snacks like nut mixes, fried veggie crisps, etc.

A full view of various snacks on the shelf.

Huge selection of gummy candies, jelly beans, and more.

Machines that freshly grind coffee beans and then brew you a cup.  Purchase a cup from the cashier.

A simple breakfast of two kinds of onigiri, a cup of hot coffee, and a half ham and half egg salad sandwich.