Japan Convenience Store Snacks: Top 5 Must-Try Treats from Lawson & 7-Eleven
Exploring Japan's convenience stores is a must! Discover the top 5 delicious snacks from Lawson and 7-Eleven that you absolutely have to try on your trip.
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Exploring Japan's convenience stores is a must! Discover the top 5 delicious snacks from Lawson and 7-Eleven that you absolutely have to try on your trip.
Every time I visit a Japanese convenience store,
I find myself pondering for ages about what to eat.
So, I've picked out some of the snacks that I've personally tried and loved,
especially those that taste best when enjoyed right there in Japan.
Here are my top 5 recommendations!
These days, many people pack snacks in iceboxes
and bring them all the way back to Korea,
but I'm not really the type to go that far...
So, for those of you like me, here are some tips!
Japanese Convenience Store Snacks: Lawson & 7-Eleven
The three major convenience store chains in Japan are
Lawson (ローソン), 7-Eleven (セブンイレブン),
and FamilyMart (ファミリーマート).
On my first trip to Japan, in Fukuoka,
I mainly visited Lawson and 7-Eleven.
Each convenience store offers its own private label (PB) products
and a slightly different selection of readily available snacks,
so it was really fun to browse around and see what each had to offer.
Among the things I tried,
here are 5 memorable snacks I'd love to introduce!
Mochi Ice Cream: Yukimi Daifuku (雪見だいふく)
This is a mochi ice cream created by Lotte.
While you can find mochi ice cream in Korea,
Yukimi Daifuku in Japan offers a distinctly different experience.
If you're thinking of Korean mochi ice cream,
this is a completely different kind of ice cream -!
The texture is absolutely unique ‼️
The mochi skin (outer layer) is thin, delightfully chewy, and incredibly soft.
The rich milk ice cream inside melts smoothly in your mouth.
It's so delicious that eating one ice cream a day is an absolute must while in Japan!
Since the mochi has a delightfully sticky texture that lingers in your mouth,
I might not recommend it if you're not a fan of mochi,
but I personally loved it so much! Haha.
✔️ You can find this product at convenience stores like Lawson, 7-Eleven, and FamilyMart,
as well as at general supermarkets.
Glico Putchin Pudding (プッチンプリン)
This smooth pudding combines the delightful flavors of custard and caramel
and is made by Glico.
It's such a famous Japanese convenience store pudding
that if you've been to Japan, you've probably tried it at least once.
If you love custard and caramel,
you'll likely enjoy its delightful sweetness.
I recommend eating this immediately after purchase, while it's still perfectly chilled.
If time passes and its temperature rises,
not only will the texture degrade,
but the pudding might also lose its shape or crumble,
preventing you from enjoying it properly.
✔️ This product is available at convenience stores like Lawson and 7-Eleven, as well as supermarkets.
Ohayo BRULEE Ice Cream
This ice cream stands out from the moment you see it.
At first glance, it might seem like a simple scoopable vanilla ice cream,
but it has a thin, characteristic brûlée caramel layer
on top of the smooth ice cream.
The crispy caramel layer offers a delightful bittersweet and sweet taste,
pairing wonderfully with the sweet, refreshing ice cream.
It's a very popular snack that many seek out.
Since the caramel layer is, after all, sugar,
it might stick to your teeth and has a crisp, hard texture, so do keep that in mind.
Rather than eating it right after buying it from the convenience store,
I recommend letting it sit at room temperature for a bit before eating.
They advise that the best state to eat it is when you press the side of the cup after taking it out of the freezer,
and it gives slightly.
✔️ You can find this product at convenience stores like Lawson and Seven-Eleven, as well as supermarkets.
Karaage-kun (からあげクン)
Karaage-kun is a representative snack
sold at Lawson.
It's Lawson's original private-brand (PB) chicken nugget,
a snack you won't find anywhere else.
There are two varieties: original flavor and red flavor (spicy),
and both pair perfectly with beer.
I personally recommend the spicy Red flavor more.
Since it's chicken and a bit oily, after all!
While it's not an absolute must-try,
with its moist chicken inside a perfectly fried, crispy coating,
it could be a satisfying choice for a light late-night snack with a can of beer!
✔️ If you're stopping by Lawson anyway, give it a try!
Dango (串団子)
This is a Japanese mochi skewer with chewy rice cakes
coated in a sweet and savory soy sauce.
If you were to compare it to Korean snacks, it's like a sweet and salty honey soy sauce tteok (Korean rice cake)!
It's subtly addictive, making you reach for more.
If you buy it at an airport convenience store, it's not bad for taking it all the way back to your home country to eat.
There are two types: skewered dango and large dango in a cup.
The skewered dango has a richer soy sauce flavor and chewier glutinous rice,
while the large dango in a cup has a milder soy sauce flavor
and a more prominent sweetness.
The mochi in the cup dango also has a softer, less firm texture compared to the skewered one.
I've also tried dango from street stalls,
but personally, I found the convenience store dango to be a bit tastier.
(Unfortunately, I didn't have a photo of the cup dango, so I used an AI-generated image ㅜ)
✔️ This is a Seven-Eleven private-brand (PB) product.
While other convenience stores might have their own dango,
the specific one I introduced can only be found at Seven-Eleven.
✅
If you look closely, Japanese convenience stores
each have a distinct character,
and I think you can enjoy them even more the more you know.
I've also briefly written reviews for other convenience store snacks.
If you're curious about other snacks or bentos (lunchboxes),
check out the two blog posts below!
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I hope this helps you with your upcoming Japanese convenience store raid
!
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If you have any questions or want to know more, leave a comment!
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Karaage-kun is a flagship private-brand product sold at Lawson. It's Lawson's original chicken nugget snack, and you won't find it at other convenience stores.
We recommend letting Ohayo Brulee ice cream sit at room temperature for a short while after purchasing it, rather than eating it right away. It's in the perfect condition to eat when you can gently press the side of the cup after taking it out of the freezer.
The skewered dango has a rich soy sauce flavor and a chewy, glutinous rice texture. The large dango in a cup has a milder soy sauce flavor, a more prominent sweetness, and a softer, more spread-out mochi-like texture.
Japanese Yukimi Daifuku has a completely different texture from Korean mochi ice cream. The mochi part is thin, chewy, and soft, while the milk ice cream filling melts smoothly in your mouth.
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