Transcription
Rice balls, egg salad sandwiches, and desserts. Japan's convenience stores are full of popular foods. They also have everyday items and even private label clothing. With ATMs and terminals to access administrative services, they support Japan's social infrastructure. And lately, futuristic convenience stores have started to appear. In this episode, we take a look at the latest developments in Japan's convenience stores.
Hello and welcome to Japanology Plus. I'm Peter Baracan. Today we look at convenience stores, or as they're universally known in Japan, konbini. You only have to walk a couple of minutes in any major city to find one. The globally famous chef and television presenter Anthony Bourdain once famously described convenience store egg salad sandwiches as "pillows of love." And I've heard that foreign visitors to Japan will sometimes get straight off the plane, go to the convenience store in the terminal and buy up large numbers of these sandwiches to stock up on.
Convenience stores, of course, were born in America, but they went through a unique evolution in Japan. We visited them once over 10 years ago. Since then, they've been through some significant changes, as we'll find out today. Let me introduce our guest for today's program, Yoshiko Hideo. Yoshiko-san, thank you very much for being with us.
>> Nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to today.
Today's guest is Yoshiko Hideo, a journalist who covers convenience stores. She visits convenience stores all over Japan and is a leading expert. She also holds seminars at universities and companies.
>> Is there a definition of what constitutes a convenience store?
>> The government has set three conditions. First, they must sell food and drink.
>> Second, the sales floor space must be 30 m² or more, but less than 250 square meters.
>> Okay, it's very precise.
>> Third, they must be open for 14 hours or more per day. These three form the definition.
>> Have you any idea how many convenience stores there are in Japan right now?
>> There are over 55,000 convenience stores in Japan.
>> Okay, that's an incredibly large number.
>> It really is. I don't think Japanese people could get by without convenience stores at this point.
The two have come to a convenience store that belongs to a major chain. Most Japanese convenience stores are open 24 hours, 365 days a year. They pack a wide and varied range of goods into limited space. There are many different products.
>> I'm always amazed at the sheer number of items on sale.
>> Yeah, I know. A typical store has around 3,000 different items. Food and drink account for around 60% of convenience store products. Convenience stores have seasonal bento boxes and different kinds of gratin dishes ready to be heated up. They also stock an extensive selection of side dishes.
>> And there's a lot of small things, aren't there?
>> Yes. These single-serving portions are very popular right now. Japan's aging population and decreasing birth rate mean there are a lot of single and senior customers. There's growing demand for smaller portion sizes. And the names, the contents are all written in English as well. Now, that's a new development.
>> These English descriptions are helpful. Tourists from overseas enjoy taking these back to their hotel to eat with a little drink.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> This section is very popular, too. Even among convenience store products, there's a long history of ready-to-eat meals. After the collapse of the bubble economy, people wanted to eat tasty food at home rather than eat out. They ate these as snacks or for lunch. Driven by such demand, taste and quality have continued to improve.
>> Actually, this is one of my favorites. There's a variation on the sandwich. Lots of egg inside a roll.
>> It's very popular.
>> Breakfast today. This is the section for everyday goods.
>> The 100 yen section is also very popular.
>> Convenience store products have become more affordable.
>> Okay. The hundred yen shops were a completely different thing. So, they've incorporated all of that into their lineup. Wow.
>> They even stock incense sticks like these. They're for when people visit graves.
>> This is something you're not going to see anywhere but Japan. But when you go to a funeral, this is you put some money in here and you offer it. And you're going to need it suddenly. And if you have it in the convenience store, it just makes it that much easier, doesn't it?
>> That's right. It comes in handy in a pinch. People don't often use something like this, but think about if they sell one a day. For a chain with over 20,000 stores, that would be 20,000 units sold every day. They stock a variety of items for very specific occasions, catering to all kinds of customers.
Japan's konbini do more than just sell products. They are part of Japan's social infrastructure. One such example is the ATM, which allows customers to withdraw and deposit money just like at any bank ATM. This ATM works in 12 different languages, making it easy for people from overseas to use. This copy machine is extremely convenient.
>> Multi-function printer. You can, of course, use it for making copies. But the most remarkable feature is the administrative services. If you have your national identification number card, you can obtain your residence certificate or personal seal registration certificate anytime between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., even on weekends, without going to the government office. It's very convenient.
It's said that around 70% of convenience store products change each year. So, how exactly are new products created? This convenience store chain has developed precooked foods that are groundbreaking, even by industry standards. This product line of microwavable grilled fish was released in 2014. It became a massive hit, selling over 80 million units. Because microwaves work by heating the moisture in food, simmered fish turns out well. However, it's much harder to reproduce the authentic flavor and all-important aroma of grilled fish. So, what is the secret of this tasty microwavable grilled fish? Let's check out one of the most popular items, salt-grilled mackerel.
The key point is how it's grilled. High-temperature far-infrared rays cook the fish thoroughly, allowing excess fat to drip away. The skin is also seared until crisp to bring out its savory aroma. And it's not just how it's grilled. The packaging tray contains a secret, too. The bottom and sides of the trays have ridges. The fish is slightly lifted, and when it's heated in the microwave, excess fat drips down. At the same time, steam circulates from below, helping to keep the fish succulent. There's one final process. The tray is filled with nitrogen gas to prevent oxidization. This grilled fish is packed with clever techniques that help deliver great taste to the customer's table. It's an impressive meal for one. All the dishes, except for the rice and miso soup, come from the convenience store.
Convenience stores offer a wide range of ready-to-eat dishes to meet the needs of the growing number of elderly people living alone. Meanwhile, a product from this chain of convenience stores has been a hit for over 15 years. Released in 2009, it's the store's own version of the Swiss roll. Unlike conventional Swiss rolls, which are made by rolling up sponge and cream, it's a ring of sponge generously filled with cream.
The chain developed this product as part of a clever strategy. It was a time when women's work styles were changing. For busy working women, convenience stores that are open until late were a lifesaver. Women also wanted sweet desserts to help them relax after work. Convenience stores took notice of that and decided to respond. The first thing the development team looked at was the cream used in desserts. They decided to abandon vegetable fat-based cream and switched to dairy-based cream, typically used by cake shops. To develop a whipped cream that would satisfy everyone, they spent countless days testing and tasting different kinds of cream. As a result, by blending three creams with distinct characteristics, they succeeded in creating an original, light, and airy cream. They then decided to use its new high-quality cream to make Swiss rolls, which were trending at the time. However, an ordinary-shaped Swiss roll wouldn't stand a chance against those from cake shops. So, they came up with an idea. They figured they should fill it with plenty of cream. However, with so much cream, the sponge became oval instead of staying round when it was cut into slices. And even if it was cut well, the cake tended to fall over on the plate. That's when the team came up with the idea of not rolling it into the usual spiral and also laying it flat from the start. By fitting single-portion strips of sponge around the inside of circular trays, they could fill them with a generous serving of cream. Thus, the new type of Swiss roll was created. It became a huge hit, selling 1 million units within the first 5 days.
This convenience store chain is focusing on a new area of retail: fashion. In this chain, stores display clothing close to the entrance. Its goal is to make its original apparel a new pillar of its product lineup. The two have come to the chain's satellite store.
>> The fast fashion market is already very competitive. What made you decide, or what made your company decide, to get involved in it?
>> We have always sold clothing, but most people only bought it when there was an urgent need. We thought we could make quality clothes for everyday use and get people into the habit of buying clothing at their local convenience store. In 2021, we launched our brand. Today, I'm dressed entirely in convenience store clothes. The lineup has expanded to cover everything, letting you put together a complete outfit.
>> Yeah. Interesting colors. I mean, wine-red socks. Nice.
>> These socks feature line designs. These are in fall season colors.
>> Many people buy them specifically for their colors.
>> Okay.
>> I suppose one shouldn't judge too much on personal habits, but when I go to a convenience store, it's generally to get a drink or a snack, or maybe to buy some batteries or something. Clothing is something that I hadn't imagined. And I wonder if it's a viable strategy for a company.
>> First of all, there's increasing demand from customers for convenience stores to be a one-stop shop. They want to buy various things in one store and finish their shopping in one place. Also, as you can see, they're reasonably priced. So, it provides both cost effectiveness and time efficiency.
Hello everyone, and welcome to Plus One. I'm Kyle Card. Now, one of my favorite things about Japan are convenience stores, or konbini. So, today we're going to introduce some unique convenience stores with some attributes you don't come across often in Japan. Let's go find out what makes them so special.
Kyle's first stop is a major chain convenience store in Tokyo. Seems like a normal convenience store. Ah, here we go. Right over here. It's a crane game. I've never seen a crane game in a convenience store before. This chain started installing crane games at its convenience stores in 2022. Now they are in over 1,000 stores. I must say, I'm pretty good at crane games. So let's see how I fare. All right, here we go. All right, let's go for this sad one. All right. Oh, yeah. Yeah. This might work in my favor. Might. Come on. Really? Why is there a crane game in the convenience store? Oh, I see. This is my last coin. Here it goes. Let's get a thorough bread. That's the one. That's the one. Oh, yeah. Yes. Oh, bread.
Kyle's next stop is Daigo, a town in Ibaraki Prefecture. This convenience store doesn't belong to a chain and is privately owned. What unique features does it have?
>> Oh, looks pretty normal for a convenience store. Yeah.
>> Oh, wow. It's an actual ramen shop.
>> There's a ramen shop inside the store. That's very unusual, even in Japan.
>> What's more, some people come to the store just to enjoy the tasty ramen.
>> So, why did you decide to put a ramen shop inside a convenience store? Oh, okay. Ah.
Kyle decides to try this shop's most popular menu item, ramen with chashu pork.
>> Wow, the chashu is really thick. Oh, it's nice and soft. Oh. So soft and juicy and so flavorful. Oh my goodness.
>> This convenience store is filled with unusual things.
>> What is this machine? All right.
Kyle has heard that there's a 50 yen discount if you make your own soft-serve ice cream, so he decides to try.
>> Oh, look at that.
>> Oh, very good.
>> Mmm, delicious.
The owner has even brought one of his hobbies into the store. There's a BB gun shooting range. Kyle decides to try it out.
>> And that's how it's done.
Due to Japan's declining birth rate and aging, shrinking population, supermarkets and other stores in rural areas are disappearing. This makes it difficult for many elderly people to do their everyday shopping. But convenience store chains are tackling this problem with new initiatives. One method involves mobile vending, delivering products directly to customers. This light truck is fitted with refrigerators. There are about 350 items in total, including bento boxes, ready-to-eat dishes, and everyday goods. There's even a freezer with ice cream. Soon after 10:00 a.m., the truck sets out. This store's truck travels a different route each day from Monday to Friday. This house belongs to a farmer. As soon as the staff open the store in the yard, local people begin to arrive. Everything is priced the same as in the regular store. There are no supermarkets nearby, so the mobile store's weekly visit is a lifeline for local people. This convenience store chain introduced mobile vending 14 years ago. Today, it has over 100 trucks across Japan.
Initiatives to combine convenience stores with other businesses have also begun. In the city of Inashiki, Ibaraki Prefecture, a convenience store and the post office have partnered to open a new type of store. It occupies one corner of the post office. After selecting what they want from the convenience store shelf or refrigerator, customers can pay at the post office counter. Particularly in rural areas, convenience stores are becoming increasingly essential to elderly people.
Now, they are going to visit a futuristic convenience store.
>> Hello.
>> Hello.
>> Nice to meet you.
>> Nice to meet you, too.
This particular store is packed with the latest technology.
>> These shelves use AI.
>> Right here. And up there, we have cameras. Using these two cameras, we analyze customer behavior and alter what's shown on the displays.
>> H. So, if I reach out for one of these, for example, what is this? Would you like something else to go with that? Let's see.
>> If a customer reaches for something on the shelf, the display will suggest other products to go with it.
>> It feels like this will become the future of shopping, or even the future of customer service.
>> Yes.
>> What's more, in this store, robots help out the staff. This is a cleaning robot. It sweeps and wipes the floors. Meanwhile, in the drink section, a robot is hard at work filling shelves from behind. And in the store's food preparation area, a cooking robot handles the deep frying. Finally, the registers. They are mostly for self-checkout, but this one has a digital avatar store clerk. This avatar is not generated by AI. A real-life clerk is remotely speaking through the avatar. It's more computer.
>> What are your thoughts on what you saw today?
>> When you go outside of Tokyo, and especially into the more remote areas of Japan where the population is thinning out very rapidly, they don't have so much choice. And I think a lot of the things that I might not necessarily need to take advantage of here would be much more valuable to people in those outlying areas. So, from that point of view, what they're doing seemed very interesting.
>> Convenience stores are kind of a lifeline for people who live outside the main urban areas.
>> Yes.
>> Like this store, convenience stores are constantly evolving. I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen to convenience stores and how our lives will change.
>> It was interesting. Definitely.
>> Thank you very much.
>> Thank you very much.
>> We'll try the revolutionary roll cake. It's good.
>> Delicious.