Your neighborhood convenience store may be getting a lot more convenient soon thanks to an injection of Japanese retail culture and maybe some rice balls, too. In Japan, convenience stores are called ...

Hand arranging onigiri on display in a Japanese konbini - Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images If you've spent time on social media, you may have stumbled across a shopping haul from a Japanese ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Akiko Katayama covers Japanese food and culture. The number of foreign visitors to Japan hit another record high in 2025, ...

You always hear how great Japanese convenience stores, known as konbini, can be, but it doesn’t prepare you for realizing exactly how great a 7-Eleven, Family Mart, or even Lawson’s can be when you ...

Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life, and 7-Eleven is the country’s dominant chain. They are a place to shop, pay bills and gather during disasters. By Kiuko Notoya Reporting from Tokyo ...

Stephen Dacus, head of the chain’s parent company, aims to export its success in Japan, with signature offerings like fresh prepared food. Stephen Dacus, the chief executive of 7-Eleven’s parent ...

Egg sandwiches are sold in Japan's many convenience stores. Anthony Bourdain said he particularly loved the version from Lawson, a convenience store. For $2, the chain makes the perfect grab-and-go ...