Now this is one King Kong Konbini! We recently made a pilgrimage to the famous gorilla themed FamilyMart in Sangenjaya in Tokyo.
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As big fans of all things FamilyMart and Japanese convenience stores, we knew we just had to visit the gorilla themed FamilyMart in Tokyo – I mean, there are lots of weird, wonderful and unusual sites in Tokyo but nothing quite so gr-’ape’ as this.
From the history to the map location, here is our guide to visiting Tokyo’s Gorilla themed FamilyMart, Japan’s most (monkey) nuts convenience store.
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Where is the Gorilla FamilyMart in Japan?
Located in Tokyo’s Sangenjaya neighborhood, the nearest station to the gorilla FamilyMart convenience store is Sangenjaya Station itself, on the Den-en-toshi line.
Take North Exit A, and turn right down Chazawa-dori street. It is a 7 minute / 500 meter walk from the station to the themed FamilyMart.
The Google Maps location is here >
Plan My Japan guides to Japanese convenience stores / ‘konbinis’ featuring:
– 7-Eleven
– FamilyMart
– Lawson
– Daily Yamazaki
– Seicomart
– 7-Eleven smoothies
– Convenience store egg sandwiches
– Lawson fried karaage/chicken nuggets
– 7-Eleven’s famous craft beer shop
– Dragon Quest themed Lawson
What to expect
Well, it is easy to find from the Sangenjaya Station as this freaking great King Kong / gorilla staring back at you from the top of the store.
A giant gorilla awaits, looking down over the road much to the amusement of passersby and locals – actually, when we visited in late 2024, we seemed to be the only tourists taking snaps but we like random and unusual Tokyo attractions.
The gorilla is also holding a life-sized woman in his right hand – so this is why it has such strong King Kong vibes.
The best place to get photos is from across the street – just be mindful of the traffic as it is a busy road and a largely retail and residential area.
You might like – things to do in Tokyo with kids or our Tokyo at night guide
Why is there a Gorilla FamilyMart in Tokyo?
It was built in 1979 to help promote a local shopping center and has stayed swinging from the top ever since. The huge King Kong style statue also has a huge hand that is holding a damsel in distress.
Sadly the FamilyMart itself doesn’t have any theming as we really wanted to buy some giant gorilla gifts as some unusual souvenirs.
Apparently, some refer to locally as the “Gorilla Building” (“ゴリラビル”) but we prefer our King Kong konbini description.
You might like – Our guide to Tokyo Character Street >
Convenience stores in Japan / how big is Family Mart?
Japan has over 55,000 convenience stores (or konbini コンビニ as they are known locally) and the most popular shops are FamilyMart Japan, 7-Eleven and Lawson – alas there seems to be only one gorilla themed convenience store though!
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Opening hours
The Gorilla / King Kong FamilyMart is open 24 hours a day – it is free to see from the outside plus to go into the store. Note there is no theming in store.
You might like these Tokyo neighbourhood guides:
Akihabara
Asakusa
Ginza
Harajuku
Ikebukuro
Nakano
Odaiba
Ryogoku
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Also check out our
Where to stay in Tokyo guide
Address
FamilyMart, Japan, 〒154 – 0004 Tokyo, Setagaya City, Taishido, 3 Chome−15−2 ゴリラビル
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