Convenience store tea is having a moment this summer. In 2013, 7-Eleven Japan debuted its new “Seven Cafe” system of freshly made beverages, starting with a rollout of coffee machines that soon became a hit with customers around the nation. After becoming synonymous with freshly brewed coffee, the chain expanded its options with smoothie machines, […]

Does this qualify as a new addition to the convenience store’s lineup of sweets sandwiches, or should it be considered something different? “Is a hamburger a sandwich?” is one of the most important philosophical debates that modern society grapples with. Though it’s yet to be definitively settled one way or another, time does march on, […]

A cookie clash amongst convenience store chains. It’s a great time to be a convenience store customer in Japan right now, as Family Mart is holding a special upsize campaign that gives us more for our yen for a limited time. One of the products that’s been upsized is the “Big Cookie”, which we heartily […]

Rising star in Japan’s foodie scene is making its 7-Eleven debut. Walk into a 7-Eleven in Japan and, as you’d expect, you’ll quickly find all sorts of very Japanese foods and drinks, such as green tea rice balls, matcha lattes, and takoyaki. However, 7-Eleven Japan is really all about offering a broad range of deliciousness. […]

Convenience store range strips everything back to basics, including the rice balls. Just last month, Calbee, Japan’s leading snack manufacturer, announced it would be switching to black-and-white printing on its potato chip packages due to a shortage of naphtha, an oil-derived component used in the production of solvents and resins to make printing inks. Ever […]

And no, that’s not Kyoto. With green tea being the most culturally significant drink in Japan, and Kyoto being considered the heart of the country’s traditional culture, it’s easy to make the assumption that Kyoto must be where most of Japan’s green tea is grown. However, while Kyoto Prefecture does produce Japan’s most famous high-end […]

A new style of Japanese dessert revolutionises convenience store sweets, but it comes with a safety warning. You’ll find a lot of matcha lattes in Japan, but over at 7-Eleven you’ll find one that comes with a risk of choking. It’s a drink so hazardous it comes with a safety warning, and it’s all due […]

How to buy the new viral convenience store coffee that locals are raving about. Ever since 7-Eleven introduced coffee-making machines at its branches in 2013, the chain has cemented itself in the convenience store landscape as the place to go for coffee. What became known as the “Seven Cafe” brand soon expanded to include other […]

Trendy Korean snacks get a convenience store makeover, but is it a good thing? Last year, 7-Eleven showcased some of Korea’s most famous food in a special limited-time campaign, and it proved to be so popular that Korean cuisine is back in the spotlight again, with a series called “Mashisso! Korea’s Top Recommended Gourmet Picks”. This […]

We find out if salty sakura pink bread is really a good way forward for the chain. Japan has a penchant for white bread sandwiches. Commonly featuring fluffy slices of shokupan, made with an enriched dough containing milk, these sandwiches aren’t just confined to savoury fillings as they pair well with sweet ingredients too, opening […]

A new limited-edition drink you can’t even get at Starbucks. Competition is fierce amongst Japan’s top three convenience store chains, 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson, but right now 7-Eleven is edging ahead of the competition with a new tie-up Starbucks drink that you can’t get anywhere else, not even at Starbucks. Called Fruity Cheers Torori, […]

This chilled sando is a convenience store must-try. When you’re travelling around Japan and learning the language, you’ll find yourself picking up new words in odd places, and right now the word at 7-Eleven is “yokubari“. Literally translating as “greedy” or “indulgent“, the chain is using the word to describe a range of single-serve “one-piece” […]

The first time a 7-Eleven has opened inside a high school in Japan. 7-Eleven opened a new branch in Japan on 1 June, at a site so unusual it made nationwide news. This new store can be found inside Kochi Chuo High School in Kochi Prefecture, taking over the site of the school’s former cafeteria. […]

Summertime bust or must-buy? It’s been roughly three years since 7-Eleven added smoothie machines to its stores in Japan, allowing customers to whip up freshly made smoothies in seconds after selecting their desired varieties from the freezer section. During that time, the chain has added a number of limited-edition flavours to the range, with all […]

As well as a double-sized cheesecake worth fighting battles over. The world may be subject to the annoyances of shrinkflation, but over the past few years, there’s been a running trend in Japan of campaigns where prices remain the same though the amount of food is increased. Family Mart started the show, with Lawson, MiniStop, […]

New “one piece” sandwich looks set to be another sell-out hit for the popular chain. On “Sandwich Day” on 13 March, 7-Eleven completely revamped its sandwiches in Japan, and among them appeared a new, generously filled single-serve range known as the “Yokubari Sando” (“Greedy Sandwich“). This so-called “one piece” sandwich aims to deliver an overwhelming […]

Lotte’s canned water makes its convenience store debut. The first time you take a look at the drink section in a Japanese convenance store, you might be surprised by some of the packaging, specifically the things that you can buy in cans. Canned coffee and cocktails can be found in pretty much every convenience store […]

We’re not sure if we can say greed is good, but it does look delicious. Japanese convenience stores are not exactly the sort of places that inspire one to a philosophy of stoic minimalism. Each and every shelf and cooler case is packed with tempting treats, and while they may not necessarily be things we […]

Getting more convenience store food for our yen is always a fun time, but this campaign is bordering on ridiculous. On 12 May, 7-Eleven Japan kicked off its its “Founding Anniversary Sale” by giving us over 50 percent more of some of our favourite products in the first phase of its so-called “Thank You Extra […]

Find out how to use the machines, and more importantly, where to find them. Back in 2013, 7-Eleven Japan revolutionised the convenience store scene by equipping its stores with coffee machines so customers could make their own individual cups of freshly brewed coffee. Then, in 2022, the chain upped its game even further with smoothie machines […]

We pit the convenience store challenger against Tokyo’s favorite maker of Japan’s beloved octopus dumplings. Takoyaki (octopus dumplings) are one of Japan’s best kinds of street food. Now, though, there’s an alternative to buying freshy cooked takoyaki from a street stall, since 7-Eleven sells them too! Takoyaki started showing up in the “hot snack corner” […]

Japanese convenience store chain serves up two green tea drinks for a limited time. 7-Eleven struck gold when it launched an exclusive line of smoothies at its stores around Japan in 2023. The freshly made drinks quickly became a hit with local customers and those visiting from overseas, spawning new flavours like Acai, Banana, and […]

A wildly popular local specialty takes Japanese convenience store food to a hot new level. You never know what wonders await you when you pop into a Japanese convenience store, but this month you’ll want to make a pit stop at 7-Eleven, because that’s where a new find awaits: takoyaki! Set to tempt you from […]

We find out if this “Greedy Sandwich” with cherry blossom bread tastes as good as it looks. Japanese convenience stores have become famous around the globe for all the great things you can find in them, and right now there’s one item everyone is scrambling to try: the Chocolate Sprinkles & Whipped Cream sandwich. Sold […]

This is one of 7-Eleven Japan’s rarest sweets, but is it worth tracking down? 7-Eleven is an ubiquitous part of Japanese cityscapes, but while you’re never too far from a branch of the convenience store, that doesn’t mean that each location has the exact same snack selection. Some 7-Eleven stores also offer the chain’s 7 […]

New “Greedy Sandwich” with cherry blossom pink bread takes classic Australian and Kiwi party food to new levels. If you’re a sandwich purist who only believes in traditional fillings, then Japan’s fruit-filled cream sandwiches will have long mystified you. Now, though, there’s a new sandwich that’ll have you gripping the edge of your seat in […]

Comfort food to snuggle up with is just one of the crazy prizes in the 7-Eleven Happy Kuji collection. There are a lot of things to love at 7-Eleven Japan, but one of the most lovely of all is the convenience store chain’s karaage-bo, or fried chicken skewers. Honestly, it’s hard to see how they […]

Viral tweet claims have shoppers wondering if they’re paying premium-filling prices for almost-plain onigiri. Consumers in Japan have gotten a lot more cautious with their convenience store rice ball purchases these days. Once a go-to impulse buy for when you’re feeling too hungry to wait for your next full meal but not ready to have […]

The first cherry blossom desserts are already here, and there are more to come. The exact timing of the blooming of Japan’s cherry blossom trees can be hard to pin down, making planning for sakura-viewing excursions difficult. Sakura sweets snacking sessions, though, are easier to schedule, especially with 7-Eleven Japan being so kind as to […]

Purple bread, all in my Japanese convenience store sweets. With Valentine’s Day chocolate being such a big deal in Japan, it’s generally a bad idea to try to tempt people with any sort of non-chocolate sweets during the first half of February. There’s simply too much chocolatey goodness out there to compete with. But once […]