Convenience Store In Japan

The convenience store, or konbini is not unique to Japan. However, the konbini in Japan is much more than a shop. Its significance is illustrated through an exhibition held in Tokyo, mooting the idea of convenience stores as mingei (Liddell, 2013).This may seem incomprehensible for people not living in Japan, as in most other countries, the convenience store is merely a convenient place to get bare necessities. Therefore, I will be examining the reasons behind why the konbini is significant in Japan, through looking at an individual scale as well as on a societal scale.

The Konbini in Japan are defined as a ‘type of self-service store with more than 50m2 and less than 500m2 and a store open more than 12 hours or closed after 9p.m.’ (Terasaka,

In these 40 years, the konbini has integrated themselves in to Japanese society to the point that it is now "… a part of local community life ' ' and plays '… a vital role in Japanese society ' (Betros, 2007; cited in Gaspari, 2011: 122). With so many stores nationwide, it is likely that 90% of the population live in close proximity to a konbini. Estimates now say that more than 90% of Japanese citizens live just within a five minute walk from a convenience store (McCaughn, 2007). Studies have shown that accessibility and proximity to home are some of largest factors affecting store choices for Japanese consumers (Haddock-Fraser, 2009). From this, it is implied that the Japanese places great value to convenience. Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in high levels of patronage of the konbini. Statistics have shown that in 2009, on average, the entire population of Japan patronizes a konbini twice a week (JMR Japan Consumer Marketing Research Institute, 2009). In this visit, they can do anything from purchasing basic necessities to any of the extra services the konbini may provide, such as booking airline tickets. Since most konbini are open 24 hours a day, they are accessible even at night when most shops are closed. Japanese are increasingly reliant on the food convenience stores provide as well (Baek, P et al, 2013). Over a third of food sales accounted for in Japan are now from konbini in 2012 (Russell, 2014). Trends such as more people living alone have fuelled this growth, and this sort of convenient food appeals to them as they are cheaper and less of a hassle (Yamane, 2001). This means that in the future, it is likely that this number is likely to growth. As a result, it can be established that the Japanese are reliant on the konbini, and even more so in the