Why Japanese convenience stores are overrated

Japanese convenience stores are often heralded as one of Tokyo's greatest assets. Advocates cast this retail institution as an exciting cavalcade of foods, drinks and supplies, available two or three per block and open 24 hours. 

Has the laser-bright flourescent lighting blinded everyone to some of the konbini's darker realities? The modern day convenience store in Japan is a treacherous intersection of consumerist hedonism and lifestyle desperation, filled with people too exhausted to cook for themselves or travel ten steps further down the road to find something much more edible and affordable at a grocery store. 

How can we hold such a shocking, iconoclastic position on the miracle that is the Japanese convenience store, we hear you ask. Here are our top six reasons:

1. Konbini are overpriced

In these times of economic malaise, every penny counts, and convenience stores want a lot more of your pennies than comparable retail outlets. Wide Island View compared supermarket and convenience store prices to show exactly how much the konbini mark up, and the results are damning. Paying ¥500 for a suspicious bento bundle of spaghetti at a Seven-Eleven would easily buy a relatively scrumptious lunchbox from a high-end supermarket. 

At a konbini, you are paying for the convenience, yes, but guess what: There are also low-priced supermarkets, drug stores and restaurants all over the place too. Convenience stores are convenient the same way scalpers are convenient at rock concerts.

2. Food of questionable quality

Compared to the toxic cheese-starch-and-meat dishes ubiquitous in most Western convenience stores, the menu of onigiri and fish bento at Japanese chains can seem like a very healthy innovation. Most konbini bentos, however, contain odious levels of salt and preservatives, which are apparent to anyone with working taste buds. (For those interested in the actual risks, there are dozens of sites on the web, including this one, dedicated to the health issues of convenience store food.) 

There is also the issue of Oden in winter: a pungent stew that sits for hours with no covering on top of the convenience store counter. There could be entire National Geographic specials about the microscopic lifeforms that manage to fall into the broth during the day and multiply.

3. Konbini rarely sell anything remotely pharmaceutical

It's 4am and you have a headache, but there is no aspirin in the house. The local konbini must have a headache remedy, right?

Sorry, my friend, most do not. Although recent deregulation has led to a pilot program with Seven-Eleven selling over-the-counter drugs, a simple packet of paracetamol may still be out of reach. You can, however, buy some blank VHS tapes and a travel version of Othello. Have fun dulling your pain with those.

4. The persecution of real beer

The refrigerator section of a convenience store is normally home to three cases of alcoholic canned and bottled drinks. These days, however, real beer is usually segregated to a tiny half-case while fake brews happoshu and "third-category beer" enjoy their own full case top to bottom. Fruity low-quality drinks also get to brag about a full case as elite beers like Kirin Classic and Yebisu listen on nearby in complete despair. 

This may not be fully the fault of convenience stores as much as a reflection of declining tastes in alcoholic consumption. Regardless, we hate being reminded of this tragedy on such a frequent basis.

5. Konbini cause crazy flavor wars

Japanese beverage makers have been stuck over the last ten years churning out temporary, insane flavors in order to win shelf space at convenience stores. The ridiculous and forgettable Pepsi Azuki and Pepsi Shiso are not as much Darwinian developments of natural selection as much as products of convenience stores' devious and forced drink evolution. 

We understand that many are a fan of this flavorful spectacle, but let's admit it: Most of these flavors do not live up to the hype, and even the good ones are yanked from shelves after a short period of time. The entire process robs Japanese drink companies of the R&D budgets to create good flavors intended to have longevity. We are instead left with rows and rows of quickly-changing blog fodder.

6. There are too many konbini

Whether fan or foe of the konbini, we can all agree that there are way too many in Tokyo. Each one cannibalizes the profits of others, and the street-level warfare prevents a more diverse selection of restaurants or stores. There is also the environmental issue of having all stores blast heat/AC and light 24/7.

We do not exactly advocate the complete abolition of Japanese convenience stores, but we promise to walk the extra twenty meters to Family Mart if the am/pm next door closes. And if they don't have the new Pepsi Iodine-Nutmeg, we will just drink something else.