Japan convenience stores are like a hidden trove of treasure. Whenever I am in Japan, I made sure to visit the nearby convenience store every night. I never fail to spend a big fortune at the convenience stores and here are the top 5 items I will definitely eat whenever I am in Japan.
Oden is a Japanese one-pot dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon, konjac, and processed fishcakes stewed in a light, soy-flavored dashi broth. I love this dish to death and since every convenience store in Japan always has an oden counter serving many selection of oden items, I will always buy a bowl to eat in the comfort of my hotel room. Some of my favourite items include the daikon, konjac and this white fluffy ball of egg whites. The broth is very light and savoury pairing extremely well with the ingredients.
This 2nd item is something I love to death as well and I can eat like 2-3 cups in any seating. This is egg pudding with caramel sauce at the bottom. Most convenience stores have the cheap version and if I have the time, I will buy the gourmet ones from the shopping mall food halls. The egg pudding is very smooth and the caramel adds the perfect sweetness.
Convenience stores have such a great selection of triangle onigiris that it is so much fun picking out the delicious ones. Onigiris is a Japanese comfort food made from steamed rice formed into the typical triangular, ball, or cylinder shapes and usually wrapped with nori. Onigiris are so convenient to eat and bring around that it makes for the perfect breakfast on the go, afternoon snacks or just whenever you are hungry. The fillings range from pickled vegetables, plums to mayonnaise salmon and seafood to grilled meats.
The next area in the convenience stores is the snacks and cakes areas where you can find gold like this. Many convenience stores have their own versions of the favourite Japanese desserts like Baumkuchen, cream cakes and even this tradition ningyo yaki which is made from a dense vanilla cake filled with red bean.
Last but not least, you will need to wash down all those snacks and food with a good drink. Fred not since the convenience store stocks up on a huge variety of flavoured beer an alcohol. I have tried before lemon beer and cherry beer but the latest one I discovered is this peach beer which is totally delicious. I was told the pineapple beer is equally wonderful and worth a try.
I feel that if you are in Japan, everyone needs to visit the convenience store as there is definitely something for everyone. Do not be surprise if you are stuck in the store for sometime going through all the goodies.
Bear Travels . Bear Eats . Bear Cooks 