JAPAN I
1st Blog “Konbini” and Cash Culture
The convenience store in Japan, or “Konbini” as the locals call it, is quite different from the corner stores you find in train stations or petrol stations. Surely, they both sell food, cigarettes and newspapers. It is not a Japanese concept from the beginning. However, in Japan, they developed it to a new level, and are much more convenient in a lot of ways.
For instance, they are densely located. In the city centre of Tokyo, you find these stores at every corner. In a busy train station, you may even find 10 of them in a few hundred metres. However, it is not only available in urban areas. Even in relatively rural towns, there are often convenience stores within a short drive. The dormitory I lived in is not in Tokyo city, but a suburb in the greater Tokyo area. Despite that, there are at least 4 “Konbinis” within 5 to 8 minutes of walk. Did I not mention they all open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week?
But little did I know it changed my daily routine so much. As an architecture student/ Ultimate procrastinator, I tend to work/ waste time staying up late. Given that the suburbs in Japan are some of the safest places to walk outside, I started to take walks at 2 or 3 am just to escape from the desk. The glass-clad “Konbini”, Glowing like a fish tank, provides a destination, and drinks and instant food which is a plus. And even at 3 am you see people eating and drinking outside of the Kobinis. In Liechtenstein, I would go shopping once a week. But in Japan, I do so many small shoppings spontaneously that I don't plan what to buy anymore. There is a wide variety of ready-meals, some are prepared by the store-staff but for the refrigerated ones, they kindly ask you if you want it reheated. There are seatings in the store with sockets and WIFI with a coin laundry. You can also collect your parcels, as well as buying tickets for museums, cinema and concerts at the machine in every konbini. In fact, during the Corona period, I visited a museum that stopped selling tickets at the reception. Instead, I had to walk 5 minutes from the museum to a Konbini to buy the ticket from the machine. Its convenience promotes a lifestyle that you don't need to own a large refrigerator, a printer, or a washing machine. And the most mind-blowing thing to me is the “pay at Konbini” function. You can shop online from Amazon to air tickest and simply pay at the Konbini, by cash. So I did once pay an airplane ticket for 150 Euro by cash in a Konbini, after buying it online. Yes, it may sound backwards. However, it makes a lot of sense to me on a second thought. For once, I never possessed a credit card, and I may not want to use a bank card from an account outside of Japan. In that case, I cannot buy anything online forever even if I have money in its most primitive form. The cash culture in Japan is still very dominant, a lot of shops and restaurants still do not accept currency other than cash. It is also anonymous that it is harder to trace who spent money on what. Financial privacy is quite valued in Japan.
Not only the Konbinis, shops generally opened all week and until 9 and supermarkets until 11 in the greater Tokyo area. This convenience of shopping anytime and the strong cash culture supports each other, and it makes quite a unique lifestyle.
For instance, they are densely located. In the city centre of Tokyo, you find these stores at every corner. In a busy train station, you may even find 10 of them in a few hundred metres. However, it is not only available in urban areas. Even in relatively rural towns, there are often convenience stores within a short drive. The dormitory I lived in is not in Tokyo city, but a suburb in the greater Tokyo area. Despite that, there are at least 4 “Konbinis” within 5 to 8 minutes of walk. Did I not mention they all open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week?
But little did I know it changed my daily routine so much. As an architecture student/ Ultimate procrastinator, I tend to work/ waste time staying up late. Given that the suburbs in Japan are some of the safest places to walk outside, I started to take walks at 2 or 3 am just to escape from the desk. The glass-clad “Konbini”, Glowing like a fish tank, provides a destination, and drinks and instant food which is a plus. And even at 3 am you see people eating and drinking outside of the Kobinis. In Liechtenstein, I would go shopping once a week. But in Japan, I do so many small shoppings spontaneously that I don't plan what to buy anymore. There is a wide variety of ready-meals, some are prepared by the store-staff but for the refrigerated ones, they kindly ask you if you want it reheated. There are seatings in the store with sockets and WIFI with a coin laundry. You can also collect your parcels, as well as buying tickets for museums, cinema and concerts at the machine in every konbini. In fact, during the Corona period, I visited a museum that stopped selling tickets at the reception. Instead, I had to walk 5 minutes from the museum to a Konbini to buy the ticket from the machine. Its convenience promotes a lifestyle that you don't need to own a large refrigerator, a printer, or a washing machine. And the most mind-blowing thing to me is the “pay at Konbini” function. You can shop online from Amazon to air tickest and simply pay at the Konbini, by cash. So I did once pay an airplane ticket for 150 Euro by cash in a Konbini, after buying it online. Yes, it may sound backwards. However, it makes a lot of sense to me on a second thought. For once, I never possessed a credit card, and I may not want to use a bank card from an account outside of Japan. In that case, I cannot buy anything online forever even if I have money in its most primitive form. The cash culture in Japan is still very dominant, a lot of shops and restaurants still do not accept currency other than cash. It is also anonymous that it is harder to trace who spent money on what. Financial privacy is quite valued in Japan.
Not only the Konbinis, shops generally opened all week and until 9 and supermarkets until 11 in the greater Tokyo area. This convenience of shopping anytime and the strong cash culture supports each other, and it makes quite a unique lifestyle.
Chui Chun SS 19