In Minnesota we have Walgreens or CVS for national chain convenience stores, sometimes literally across the street from each other.
In Japan, there is FamilyMart, 7/11, Lawson, Ministop, or SeicoMart. These are called conbini (コンビニ), pronounced like “cone bee nee “, a shortened form of convenience store.
Conbini are like a Walgreens with the hot fast food of a gas station, but with no gas. They are known internationally for having surprisingly tasty and fresh food.
Here is a map someone made of conbini “territories”. The territories are not exclusive. And the data is probably at least 2 years stale.
We will be in FamilyMart land, but captured most locally by 7/11.
And, just for fun, here is Sarah’s grandparents’ store the last time we saw it in 2023. Built as an extension to the house (the central hallway runs immediately behind the cash register, and the kitchen is behind the frosted glass doors just beyond), it survived the big earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024 though the rest of the house has since been torn down after being damaged. The store no longer operates.
