7-Eleven Stores in Japan - 36 food and drinks to buy

7-Eleven heaven! No trip to the Land of the Rising Sun is complete without a 7-Eleven Japan trip – from bento boxes to egg sandwiches, onigiri to karaage, Japanese 7-Eleven ‘konbini’ stores have got you covered for cheap and convenient snacks.

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Although sit-down Japanese restaurants are wonderful and Japanese food is always so tasty, sometimes all you want is a sandwich, quick coffee or ready-to-go bento, and 7-Eleven in Japan is a big business with a shop on practically every street corner.

As of 2024, there are around 22,000 7-Eleven stores in Japan – wow!

Often open 24 hours a day, pretty much every visitor to Japan has at some stage dived into a 7-Eleven Japan convenience store for a quick bite (these stores are also known as konbinis in Japan).

From coffee to cup noodles, yakult to yakitori, here is our guide to food, drinks and things you can buy in 7-Eleven in Japan.

This article was originally published in February 2024.

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Table of Contents

How many 7-Eleven stores are there in Japan?

As of 2024, there are around 22,000 7-Eleven stores in Japan; this makes it the most popular convenience store chain in Japan beating Lawson, Seicomart, Daily Yamazaki, MiniStop and FamilyMart.

In total, there are around 55,000 convenience stores in Japan as of late 2024.

Based on 2023 stats from Statista, 7-Eleven Japan is also the most preferred Japanese convenience store with 80% of Japanese consumers saying they regularly visited 7-Eleven.

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7-Eleven Japan History

7-Eleven Japan began in 1974 opening its first store in Tokyo as ‘York Seven’ and rebranded to ‘7-Eleven’ four years later after entering into an agreement with the American owners.

7-Eleven Bank also operates across most stores with Japanese 7-Eleven Bank ATMs in most stores. We also found these 7-Elevens ATMs easy to use with no bank fees incurred when withdrawing our Yen (this may depend on your home bank though).

There are 7-Eleven’s all over the world including over 12,000 7-Elevens in Thailand, 7,000 7-Elevens in Taiwan and over 13,000 in the USA and Canada.

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Does 7-Eleven Japan Sell Beer / Alcohol?

Yes, 7-Eleven Japan sells beer, wine and spirits like whiskey and sake – one of their biggest alcohol ranges is highballs (whiskey and soda) in cans plus ‘one cup sake’. Read more in our 7-Eleven Japan Beer, Sake and Alcohol Guide >

One of the most famous 7-Elevens in Japan is the Yokohama 7-Eleven Hammerheads branch which specialises in international and Japanese craft beer.

We’ve visited Yokohama’s viral craft beer 7-Eleven and it is amazing! There are over 500 different craft beers from all over the world plus lots of beer merchandise – cheers!

craft beer Yokohama 7-Eleven Hammerheads store Japan — *Yokohama 7-Eleven Hammerheads store*

Are Japanese 7-Eleven stores open 24/7?

In the major cities like Tokyo and Osaka, most of the inner city branches of 7-Eleven Japan are open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

However, in quieter areas or out of the cities, many 7-Elevens in Japan open early morning (6am to 7am) and close around 11pm or midnight – it really varies from city to city.

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Food/ drink/ products you can buy in a Japan 7-Eleven store

1. Cup / Instant Noodles

With aisle upon aisle dedicated to this most famous of Japanese products, we can say there are literally oodles of noodles in 7-Eleven Japan stores.

UFO instant noodles 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

Instant cup noodles and ramen noodles are always very popular with famous brands like Nissin or UFO readily available; often you’ll also find novelty noodles like Sanrio characters noodles or Doraemon.

All 7-Eleven branches in Japan have hot water tanks so that you can add boiling water to your instant noodles then stir, heat up and eat.

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instant udon noodle soup pot 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

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2. Sandwiches

Although 7-Eleven in Japan is most famous for their egg sandwiches, the konbini chiller cabinets are always full of fine, fresh sandwiches like the yakisoba and cabbage sandwich or shrimp cutlet and sauce sandwich.

egg salad sandwich 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

chicken egg teriyaki sauce sandwich 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

And it isn’t just savoury sandwiches – Japanese convenience stores like 7-Eleven often have sweet sandwiches like strawberries, custard and whipped cream sandwiches.

On our last visit to 7-Eleven Japan in Autumn 2024, we also spotted a mandarin orange and whipped cream sandwich.

strawberries custard and whipped cream sandwich 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

mandarin orange and whipped cream sandwich 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

One of the more interesting 7-Eleven Japan sandwiches we discovered was the ‘white sugar and shortening’ baguette – ‘sweet’ as!

white sugar and shortening’ baguette Japan 7 eleven

Incidentally, we’d rate the best Japanese convenience store egg sandwich as the Lawson’s Japanese egg sandwich – the white bread is so soft and smooth plus the egg filling is always very generous with some nice peppery flavours.

The 7-Eleven egg sandwich in Japan isn’t so good but still nice (in our un-expert opinion).

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3. Onigiri

Located in the chiller section, these are one of the most popular cold snacks at 7-Eleven across Asia, not just in Japan.

Although we never figured out properly how to open a 7-Eleven rice triangle (onigiri amateurs, we know), we always make a total mess and rip the nori.

These healthy (ish) snacks are available in a range of flavours like tuna mayonnaise, salmon row and bonito flakes.

Most 7-Eleven Japan onigiris are priced around 140 to 170 Yen so for travellers, these nice rice snacks often cost less than £1 / $1USD.

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4. 7-Eleven Hot Counters / Skewers

One of the best food sections to try at 7-Eleven Japan is the hot counter, usually right next to the cashier desk where you pay.

The hot plate section often has skewers of meat, containers of fried chicken (more on this later), hash browns, spring rolls, meat cutlets and salty fried sausage.

Pre-heated and ready to go, this is one of the most popular konbini / convenience store products to try in Japan.

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5. Fried Chicken / Karaage / Yakitori

Hot fried / grilled chicken is very popular in 7-Eleven – so much so that most Japanese convenience stores bring out limited edition fried chicken flavours (Lawson in particular) like fish roe or lemon basil chicken.

chicken nuggets karaage 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

Fried chicken kara-age kun nuggets are often sold in boxes of 5 pieces and is an incredibly delicious yet cheap snack. We kinda lived on it in Japan on those cold winter days when we just wanted a quick, affordable bite in between temple visits or shopping.

A box of fried chicken from 7-Eleven Japan typically costs around 350 Yen.

As well as karaage, chicken skewers are also available to takeaway as well as fried chicken with soy sauce and Japanese style salty fried chicken.

chicken stick yakitori 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

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6. Buns / Baos

Many 7-Elevens in Japan also had dedicated hot buns / bao sections, with hot cabinets consisting of several different flavoured buns.These cabinets also sometimes had steamed cheese cakes too!

Flavours included pizza buns, pork buns and sweet bean paste buns with baos at 7-Eleven costing around 130 to 150 Yen for small buns and around 240 Yen for a large, hot pork bun.

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7. Japan 7-Eleven Fresh Smoothies

One of the most popular drinks in 7-Eleven Japan are the fresh fruit smoothies for around 300 Yen. Many videos of these have been circulating recently on Tik Tok and the drinks have become pretty famous!

To get your smoothie you first have to choose which flavour you want from the freezer – there are several varieties of cut up fruits / veggies in plastic cups.

After paying for it at the till, you take it over to a special machine where you scan the barcode on the cup, remove the seal and then pop the cup inside the machine which will blend your smoothie for you!

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8. Hot coffees / Cold Coffees

7-Eleven stores in Japan always have some form of hot coffees either in their hot cabinets (yes, like a chiller but instead a hot cabinet full of pre-heated coffee bottles) or from the cafe section behind some counters.

Ice coffee is also available in the chilled sections including brands like Boss, UCC and Doutour.

Be it iced coffee or hot coffee, 7-Eleven in Japan is always good for a caffeine fix.

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9. 7-Eleven Desserts from fridge

We so miss the sweet treats section from 7-Eleven Japan – home to decadent desserts and yummy yoghurts, it is hard to pass on by this section.

From jellys to cakes, chocolate rolls to trifles, your sweet tooth won’t stand a chance – and there are always seasonal sweet specials like special strawberry desserts during cherry blossom / sakura season in Japan.

rice cake with matcha paste 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

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10. 7-Eleven Ready meals

Hot stuff! There are loads of chilled microwave meals / ready meals to choose from in Japanese 7-Eleven (which the staff will gladly heat up for you).

Some of the Japanese 7-Eleven ready meals include spaghetti with spicy cod roe, butter and seaweed, pasta with sausage, bacon and garlic plus various soba noodle dishes and rice dishes (the rice bowl with pork and egg was nice).

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11. Dried goods

The shelves of 7-Eleven in Japan are stocked with shedloads of dried goods – some of the most popular dried snacks include dried sausage, beef jerky and smoked squid.

We also spotted cod and cheese sticks plus dried squid and dried octopus – so plenty of snacking choices.

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12. Bento box

We are big on bento boxes – lots of flavours and different foods packed into one box, bento boxes are easily one of the biggest sellers and widest ranges of fresh foods at 7-Eleven Japan.

Some of the best bento boxes available include chicken karaage bento with rice, roasted chicken, beef curry or lots of soba noodle dishes with pork.

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13. Fresh Salad Boxes

Available in 7-Eleven both in the summer and winter, the fresh salad boxes and vegetable snacks are a popular choice and available in vegetarian and meat versions.

As well as cups of fresh vegetables with sauces like miso and mayonnaise, you can try dishes like ramen salad with vegetables, chicken and spicy sesame dressing, pasta salad with chicken and yuzu flavoured sauce or chicken, chili papaya salad.

We quite liked the deep-fried tofu, sardines and seaweed salad too (which cost only 410 Yen).

14. Chocolate

Japanese chocolate isn’t just about Kit Kats (although there are a lot of Japanese Kit Kit flavours). From Crunky to Dars, Pocky to Meltykiss, 7-Eleven has all your chocolate choices covered.

crunky caramel cheese chocolate 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

If chocolate bars aren’t your thing, you can often get chocolate covered dried fruit like chocolate banana chips.

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strawberry kit kat bites 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

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15. Soft Drinks

As you’d expect from 7-Eleven, there are lots of soft drinks to enjoy – as well as your usual Pepsi, Sprites and Coca-Cola brands, you’ll find lots of flavours you won’t find elsewhere in the world.

7-Eleven Stores in Japan fizzy soda soft drinks

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16. Crisps / Potato Chips

Generally every 7-Eleven store in Japan has at least one huge aisle of brightly packaged potato chips and corn based snacks, often with really interesting local flavours like cheesy gratin, aromatic garlic or squid.

calbee honey chicken chips 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

The biggest crisp manufacturer seems to be Calbee, who have so many different brands like Calbee Jagabee (a bit like potato sticks).

One of our favourite finds was the Gindaco takoyaki flavoured chips with cute octopi on the front – the tangy sauce hit was interesting!

gindaco takoyaki potato chips 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

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17. Yakult 1000 / Probiotic

We’re all for Japanese ‘culture’ so time to try some probiotic lactic acid bacteria drink – our ‘gut feeling’ is that probiotic drinks are very popular in Japan (sorry not sorry).

‘Healthy’ probiotic drinking yoghurt is big business in Japan and most 7-Elevens have two or three dedicated fridge shelves of live culture products.

Whilst we were in Japan, the must have product in 7-Eleven was the Yakult 1000 probiotic drink with a small bottle supposedly containing over 100 billion healthy bacteria in each bottle.

It went viral on social media (so often sold out) and is said to promote better sleep and relieve stress.

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18. Salted Squid Guts

We have to be honest – this isn’t something we’ve tried ourselves but it was one of the more interesting items we saw in the refrigerators (and only 71 calories per portion).

Slowly aged and salted, this is one 7-Eleven Japan snack you’ll find in the chilled section.

salted squid guts 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

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19. Frozen Takoyaki / Octopus Balls

The freezer sections are fantastic and one of the most widely accessible fine freezer fare is Japan’s famous takoyaki / octopus balls.

You can buy own brand 7-Eleven Japanese frozen takoyaki balls or they also stock famous brands like Gindaco takoyaki balls.

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20. Frozen Okonomiyaki / Pancakes

There are several 7-Eleven own brand frozen okonomiyaki pancakes you can purchase including savoury ones with pollock roe and rice cakes or green onion.

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21. Melonpan bread

A Japanese sweet bun that kinda looks like a melon, the melonpan is one of the most popular bakery products in 7-Eleven Japan, which costs around 150 Yen per portion.

Crunchy on the top (created by a cookie dough like covering) and soft and fluffy on the inside, melonpan is one of the best loved bakery items at Japanese konbinis including 7-Eleven Japan.

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22. Japan 7-Eleven Refrigerator snacks to heat up

The refrigerator fresh section at 7-Eleven Japan is not to be missed – this is a treasure trove of tasty treats like rice cakes with chives or fresh lobster bisque soup.

Better still, try steamed buns or generous gyozas – all can be heated up onsite in the microwaves either behind the main counter or situated in the 7-Eleven seating areas in larger stores.

grilled rice cakes with chives 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

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23. Alcohol / Beer and Wine

Mainstream beers like Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo dominate the beer sections at 7-Eleven in Japan but some also include craft beer and small batch brewery cans.

Most beers in 7-Eleven Japan come in various sizes including 350ml cans and 500ml cans plus bottles.

asahi can cherry blossom pink 7-Eleven Japan

Look out for limited edition beers during seasons and festivals like the pink coloured Asahi beer cans during the cherry blossom season.

The price of an Asahi 500ml beer can in 7-Eleven Japan is around 300 Yen per can or about 230 Yen for a 330ml can of beer.

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24. Spirits

Whiskey in Japan is one of the most widely drunk spirits in Japan and you’ll find a wide array of both Japanese and international whiskeys at 7-Eleven Japan.

If you’d prefer, Japanese high-balls (whiskey and mixers) can be found in premixed cans in the same section as beers – cans of Japanese highballs are incredibly cheap and in some cases, can be purchased for less than a £1 / $1

We also found bottles of whiskey to be a LOT cheaper than in the UK including Scottish brands of whiskey – Shochu, umeshu and sake are widely available in 7-Eleven too.

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25. Pasta and soup pots

A bit like instant noodles, pasta pots and dried soups where you just add hot water are big business in Japan and a konbini culinary adventure.

We often tried dried pasta pots plus the occasional lobster bisque soup (to be honest, the only way we can afford ‘lobster’ on our travel budget!)

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26. Japan 7-Eleven Muffins

7-Eleven Japan is highly recommended for a cheap breakfast too – one of our favourite morning rituals was to grab a McDonald’s style muffin from the fridges and get it heated up to enjoy whilst out and about.

egg, bologna sausage and cheese muffin 7-Eleven Stores in Japan

They literally taste the same as McDonald’s breakfast muffins but are much cheaper – one of the best is the 7-Eleven vegetarian muffin filled with egg, bolognese sausage and cheese.

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27. 7-Eleven Cheese

Whilst many parts of Japan (like Hokkaido) are known for their amazing cheese, the vast majority of 7-Eleven cheese seem to be the processed type like ‘Snow cheese’ or Camembert cheese triangles.

They usually come in boxes of six individually foil wrapped cheeses and are marketed as a beer snack, with the packets saying to serve them with beer (this is just a serving suggestion, not the law).

28. Japanese Chain Restaurant Frozen Food

Here at Plan My Japan, we love trying different Japan chain restaurants, from Coco Ichibanya curry to Matsunoya Tonkatsu plus Kura Sushi.

Several of these chains have a frozen meal range in Japan 7-Eleven including popular brunch and breakfast chain Denny’s. Gindaco also sell frozen okonomiyaki balls and okonomiyaki flavored potato chips too.

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29. 7-Eleven Premium Chocolate Range

We’ve talked about the likes of Pocky and Kit-Kat already but if you want to treat yo self, try the decadent 7-Eleven Japan Premium Chocolate range. On our latest trip to Tokyo in Autumn 2024, this became our new chocolate obsession.

JAPAN 7-Eleven Premium Chocolate Range strawberry white chocolate

The range has several flavors and types including freeze dried strawberries or bananas with white chocolate inside (our favorites) or chocolate covered potato chips.

JAPAN 7-Eleven Premium Chocolate Range banana white chocolate

JAPAN 7-Eleven Premium Chocolate Range crisps chocolate

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30. Cold Carton Tea

At just 127 Yen with tax for a massive carton of cold tea, this is one of the best value 7-Eleven Japan drinks you can buy – it’ll keep you going for a day or two if you have a fridge at your Japan hotel or accommodation.

Tea flavors include green tea, roasted green tea, jasmine tea and rooibos.

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31. One Cup Sake

Whilst not the best tasting sake in Japan, 7-Eleven is one of the biggest sellers of One Cup Sake which comes in various sizes.

It is popular and very very cheap – a 180ml of the famous One Cup Ozeki costs just 123 Yen including tax, or 254 Yen for the JUMBO 300ml One Cup Sake. Kanpai (and always drink responsibly).

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32. Torriden K Beauty Products

K-Beauty is coming to Japan! Some of the larger stores now stock South Korea’s famous Torriden beauty line, which you’ll usually see selling out in South Korea Olive Young stores.

7-Eleven Japan Torriden K Beauty Products

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33. Matcha old fashioned donut

7-Eleven are talking on Mister Donut or possibly copying them. We’ve noticed a new range of old fashion style donuts in 2024 which look very (very) similar to the Mister Donut old fashioned range.

7-Eleven Japan Matcha old fashioned donut

They are available in several flavours including Matcha old fashioned.

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34. Power Pack Charging

It is isn’t just the ‘juice’ in the chiller cabinet that 7-Eleven Japan sell – if your phone is running out of battery power, 7-Eleven have handy power bank rental stations.

7-Eleven Japan Power Pack Charging rental

They sometimes even run an offer for first time customers to rent a power pack for free.

The power pack rental is simple to use, just download the app and register your details – then use it and then return to your nearest 7-Eleven. Simple and smart!

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35. Marmalades & Preserves

Paddington Bear would approve – marmalades and jams can be bought in 7-Eleven Japan, to blind a boring hotel breakfast.

Strawberry jam and blueberry jam are available for 203 Yen a pot, or upgrade to orange marmalade for 235 Yen.

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36. Seaweed

Japan is known for its seaweed dishes and you’ll likely try this in everything from miso soup to side dishes.

7-Eleven Japan has several fresh and dried seaweed dishes to sample but one of the most popular is available from the chilled section. Hijiki Seaweed, tofu and bonito (fish) broth available in small containers for around 218 Yen.

7-Eleven Bank ATMs in Japan.

Great for travellers, 7-Eleven Japan has its own 7-Eleven Japan bank network with almost 30,000 ATMS nationwide as of early 2024.

As well as being in most stores, stand alone 7-Eleven Japan ATMs are also widely found in shopping malls or on the high street.

We always used 7-Eleven ATMs to take money out in Japan as they often give low denomination notes and we didn’t incur any extra fees on our UK bank card (Starling).