The Aykler Report #6 – Strange Things Are Afoot at the Conbini

Strange Things…

Before visiting Japan (which has become a much longer visit thanks to Covid-19!), I was not aware of the strange world of the Japanese conbini. Conbini (sometimes spelled and pronounced ‘kombini’ or ‘konbini’ or ‘conveni’) is Japanese slang for convenience store. Conbinis are fast, frequent, friendly, clean, and full of wacky goodness (by my American standards, anyway).

Three major companies dominate the market: 7-11, Lawson’s, and Family Mart, but there are other local brands an...