Ep 4 Japanese Convenience Stores Japanese Podcast

Hello everyone welcome to my Japanese podcast I'm Mai Are you all doing well I made and ate oden for dinner yesterday because it was really cold in Korea and honestly oden is the best thing to eat on a cold day I absolutely love it so much Still living in Korea I sometimes really miss Japanese oden I feel a deep longing—what we call "missing someone" is a blend of nostalgia and loneliness That’s why I suddenly get a craving for Japanese convenience store oden You might be thinking "Wait oden at a convenience store " This flavor is truly unique and unforgettable Have you ever been to a Japanese convenience store Have you ever tried the oden sold there That said Japanese convenience stores are quite popular among foreigners because they offer just about everything you could need Today I'd like to talk about convenience stores in Japan We’ll also share some commonly used expressions in Japanese convenience stores so I’d really appreciate it if you’d listen all the way to the end First of all there are three well-known convenience stores in Japan Seven-Eleven FamilyMart Lawson—those are the three Now I'd like to discuss the characteristics of these three convenience stores First is Seven-Eleven Seven-Eleven is Japan's largest convenience store chain with the highest number of locations In Tokyo and surrounding areas it's common to refer to it as "Seven " However in the Kansai region particularly in areas like Osaka and Kyoto many people refer to it as "Seven Eleven" rather than "Seven-Eleven " Seven is generally praised for its high-quality bento boxes onigiri and side dishes So there are actually quite a variety of bento options and many of them are incredibly delicious Plus the quality of the desserts is also quite high Also Seven's private label is quite strong with a wide range of popular products The second one is FamilyMart In Tokyo and surrounding areas as well as throughout the Kanto region FamilyMart is commonly referred to as "Family Mart" or simply "Famima " Even in regions like Osaka or Kyoto in Kansai it's the same FamilyMart but the intonation shifts slightly In Tokyo it's "family mart" with the 'm' pronounced high but in regions like Osaka it's "family mart" with the 'mi' pronounced high We say "family mart " One of the most popular items at FamilyMart is Famichiki the chain's chicken product This fried chicken has been a truly popular item for years now Actually I've never eaten fried chicken from a family restaurant before So not knowing what it tastes like I looked it up online Then according to the description the fried chicken has a crispy exterior and a juicy interior with juices bursting out abundantly when bitten into That seems to be the reason for its huge popularity FamilyMart is quite popular among younger customers particularly those in their teens and early twenties The third one is Lawson Lawson sells chicken too specifically a product called "Karaage-kun " and Takoyaki-kun has quite a variety of flavors including the regular one and another standard flavor Then there's Red a slightly spicy chicken and a spicy-flavored chicken plus cheese and cheese flavor Then occasionally limited-time-only flavor fried chicken items are released for a short period Takoyaki-kun is something I've eaten many times and it's incredibly delicious Personally I'd recommend the regular and red varieties LAWSON's desserts are exceptionally high in quality The most famous dessert here is the premium roll cake— this round roll cake is a popular and well-known product And Lawson will also sell sweets from collaborations such as with Godiva Godiva is a globally renowned chocolate brand We also sell products created in collaboration with Godiva It's a bit more expensive compared to other desserts but the quality is exceptionally high and it's incredibly delicious We also operate a convenience store called Natural Lawson aimed at health-conscious customers Natural Lawson differs slightly from regular Lawson stores mainly because they offer a wide variety of products that focus on health including many organic options It's somewhat pricier than your average Lawson more like a higher-end convenience store We often shorten "Natural Lawson" to "Natchurō " The Seven-Eleven FamilyMart and Lawson stores I just mentioned can be found everywhere throughout Japan For example places like near train stations close to home or near the office—especially in Tokyo there are truly countless stores That's why walking around like this you'll find a convenience store and if you walk just a little further another one appears almost immediately—this is exactly how it is in Tokyo where convenience stores are practically everywhere you go Moreover since they're open 24 hours everywhere they hold far more significance for Japanese people than just a convenience store In addition to purchasing items convenience stores offer a wide range of convenient services For example ATMs With ATMs you can withdraw Japanese yen not only using Japanese bank cards but also cash cards or credit cards issued overseas That’s why it’s really handy during a trip to Japan like when you suddenly run out of Japanese yen Also there's a delivery service—just bring your items to a convenience store and they’ll ship them directly from there You can also pay utility bills such as gas electricity and water bills You can also make this payment at a convenience store some people pay their utility bills while running errands Another thing I personally find extremely convenient is being able to use a copier Every convenience store has one so you can easily make copies or print documents using it You can also print photos and it's really convenient—whether you use the smartphone app or send data via USB to print easily So if you ever find yourselves in Japan and suddenly need to make copies or print something just keep this in mind: Please go to a convenience store—it'll have a copy machine so remember that Also many convenience stores have restrooms available So if you feel like using the restroom it's perfectly fine to use the convenience store's restroom but after that you should at least do one thing People tend to buy at least one thing whether it's a drink a snack or anything else That's why I always make sure to buy something from the convenience store before leaving just in case I've used the restroom there Thanks to all these various services convenience stores have truly become an indispensable part of everyday life for Japanese people Another big draw is the limited-time menus that appear in sync with the seasons and special events For example when spring arrives numerous seasonal items featuring cherry blossoms and strawberries are released For example there might be cherry-flavored pudding cherry pudding or if it's strawberries strawberry sandwiches or a wide variety of other strawberry desserts will be released And in summer the cold noodle series becomes especially abundant For example things like somen noodles or cold Chinese noodles—there are plenty of such noodle products available After that in Japan heatstroke is quite common with many people collapsing each year so there are numerous products available aimed at preventing it including those that help replenish salt It's sold during summer isn't it Yes "salt content" refers to salt itself That's why there are many products using salt such as sweets—like salted caramel cakes and other desserts featuring salt which are also available for purchase Also in autumn a wide variety of products made with sweet potatoes chestnuts and pumpkins are released There seem to be quite a few of those breads and pastries really Yeah like sweet potato bread or desserts made with chestnuts—there are already plenty of those available And when winter comes warm soups hot pot dishes and other hearty meals are increasingly released Yeah then there's the Chinese restaurant Do you all know Chinese buns There are all sorts of varieties—meat buns sweet bean buns pizza buns—and they're warm and absolutely delicious When it gets cold a display case filled with steamed buns appears next to the checkout packed with all sorts of Chinese buns and before you know it while ringing up your purchase you end up thinking "Oh I should grab a pork bun too " Still I kept buying steamed buns filled with meat pizza buns and the like And as I mentioned earlier it's really just about the onigiri Yes once it gets cold again oden is brought out and placed right there at the register It's packed with all sorts of ingredients and that savory broth aroma is simply irresistible That’s why you end up thinking "Hmm I really feel like having this " and just end up buying it When I think of oden it brings back memories from my childhood when my mother used to make dinner for me every single day Since my mom was working back then there were times when she'd get so overwhelmed and exhausted from being busy that she just couldn't bring herself to cook dinner Mom comes over and says "Mai-chan want to eat oden " But when they say they're going to eat that oden it's basically like saying they might as well head to the convenience store to buy some Then I got so excited I couldn't help but say "Oh I want to eat " And then just the two of us Mom and I went to the convenience store and bought oden—those memories are still so vid And since everything looks so delicious you end up buying a bunch just because you can't resist—both of you keep saying you want to try this and that And then you buy it bring it home and eat it there It truly brings back warm nostalgic memories After that during Christmas and New Year seasons people also reserve and purchase Christmas cakes Otherwise during the New Year period you can also reserve and purchase osechi cuisine And what exactly is osechi cuisine On New Year's Day in Japan people eat a special meal known as osechi And osechi consists of these square boxes called jukuseki where each dish is neatly arranged one by each in the box And it's incredibly luxurious —so in short it's like a very fancy bento box And this is what we call osechi And you can even reserve osechi meals at convenience stores which is really convenient Then depending on the region they also sell exclusive local products Enjoying the purchase of seasonal limited-edition items like these was always one of the highlights And speaking of convenience stores it reminds me of my high school days When I was in high school there was a convenience store right in front of the school So I'd often stop by that convenience store on my way to school every morning picking up breakfast or snacks to eat during break time I also frequently hung out with friends from another class I even made plans with a friend from another class to hang out after school today stuff like that Something like "Let's meet up at the convenience store " or "I 'm already at the convenience store so come on over " and so on It was also the meeting spot after school with friends wasn't it After class we'd meet up at that convenience store and sometimes I'd suggest picking up a snack or two—there were times we bought some treats and ate them together Those are truly nostalgic memories Back then as a high school student I used to go to the convenience store almost every day Of course now that I'm an adult I don't go as often as I used to but still convenience stores are truly indispensable to me Do you all have any memorable moments from convenience stores If so please share them in the comments Now I’d like to talk about common expressions used at Japanese convenience stores Yes when you all go to a convenience store you first pick out the item you want to buy right Once you've made your selection bring it to the register and we'll check you out And when I looked down near the register I saw marks on the floor shaped like feet There are stickers with arrows on the floor So if there's a customer checking out when you arrive at the register you wait at that marked spot That's just waiting your turn Once the previous customer's bill is settled the cashier will call out "Next in line please " That’s right—when it’s your turn you take your items to the checkout counter to pay And there's a common phrase that shop staff use: "Would you like your bento warmed up " This is something that comes up when say you've bought a bento When you're wondering whether to heat that bento in the microwave and serve it warm or if it's fine to serve it as-is without warming it up just ask me Yes so if asked whether you'd like your bento warmed you'd say yes please if you want it heated If you don't need to keep it cold while warming it up just say no it's fine and when buying a bento the phrase a store clerk might ask you is Would you like to use chopsticks And if so how many cents would you like to pay for them That's the kind of question they'll ask you Now regarding this way of saying "how many cents " That's how you count chopsticks right Chopsticks come in pairs—one pair is two sticks not one stick and then another This set is called one sen A sen yes That's why we count it as two cents three cents four cents five cents and so on So if the staff asks you how many sen you'd like for your chopsticks just say "If you need one please take one sen " If you need two please give me two sen That's how you'd say it Basically we count chopsticks using the sen counting system If it's a bagged unused pair of chopsticks or similar items counting by the coin is acceptable and using "book" as a unit of measurement is also fine So you can just say "One please " or "Two please " using the word for "number of chopsticks" — if asked how many chopsticks you'd like that's perfectly fine Yes it's fine to answer Also when buying alcohol or cigarettes you're asked by the cashier touch the age verification button or touch the screen as prompted So what this means is that in Japan drinking alcohol and smoking are both permitted only after turning 20 That's why when buying alcohol or cigarettes at that convenience store A screen at the register displays the question: "Twenty years old Are you twenty " So you can't buy it unless you actually tap that YES button So if you're told touch here please tap the "yes" area on the screen That way you'll be able to purchase alcohol and tobacco And also would you like a shopping bag This phrase is commonly used by store clerks In Japan shopping bags are charged for So if you need a plastic bag please say yes thank you If you don't need a plastic bag simply reply no it's fine Yes the expressions I just introduced are ones that Japanese convenience store employees frequently use So when you're traveling in Japan muster up a little courage and try speaking in Japanese Yes today we talked about Japanese convenience stores Thank you so much for listening all the way to the end today See you again in the next podcast