JAPAN'S CONVENIENCE STORE MEAL HACKS FOR KIDS AND BABIES

Everyone knows I love a convenience store in Japan – one of my longest posts I have is about my love for Japanese convenience stores and vending machines, actually.
The food is so fresh, affordable, it constantly changes and it’s literally there for us at any time of day.
There are also, to the surprise of many first time Japan visitors, many healthy convenience store options in Japan.

But this blog post is about making meals using just convenience store bought meals and ingredients.
Disclaimer: you will, of course, have a full range of Japanese ingredients if you go to a Japanese supermarket (put “supermarkets near me” into google maps) but this is mostly for families who have arrived into Japan late at night or are tired after a big day out sightseeing. Please remember that if you want a pre-made meal- Japanese supermarkets have an amazing range of microwavable pasta, rice and noodle dishes as well as salads and bentos. This article is for aimed at parents who want to prepare something that might taste more familiar to their kids – but also won’t take a really long time or cost a lot of money.

I also want to share options that you might not know about if it is your first visit. These recipes are useful if you are staying at an apartment style hotel like Mimaru or &Here (which is what I recommend for young families – especially if you have picky eaters, kids who really need routine or if you have a neurodivergent household and are travelling in Japan.)

Here are my recommended hotels for families in Tokyo.
Here are my recommended hotels for families in Kyoto.

I hope this helps if you are trying to save money, have arrived late or just need something fast to eat back at your room as you have sleepy children etc.
Please note that some convenience stores have eat-in areas and regardless if the don’t you can still make use of the in-house microwave ( for items you have purchased at the store.). It’s good to remember that it’s not polite to eat while walking so it’s best to heat up any meals back at your accommodation or warm them up and carry them back to eat right away.
Oooh and one more tip? The microwave’s at the convenience stores are CRAZY strong. So you might want to heat up food in short increments as those mighty Japanese industrial microwaves have super zapping power.

I’m going to write this blog post assuming everyone reading here is looking for a meal to either make up quickly or heat up once they are back at their temporary Japanese “home.” Some meals are best used for those staying in apartment style hotels with a kitchenette.

Meal suggestions that are easy to put together for kids with Japanese convenience store ingredients:
*These suggestions aren’t vegan or gluten free. Please read here for all of my tips on what to do and how to plan ahead for specific dietary requirements and allergies in Japan.

Please remember to use google translate for labels on the back of foods – should you need to know all ingredients (and just for checking flavours etc – as many people pick up things like butter when they think it’s cheese etc.)

Buying butter at the convenience stores in Japan

Buying bread, jam and cereal at convenience stores in Japan.

Buying fruit, veg, yoghurt and cheese at convenience stores in Japan.

These items are all from 7-Eleven Japan.
Salad, Banana , Rolls (with margarine inside), Strawberry Yoghurt, Slices of Ham.

This is also strawberry yoghurt (sold in supermarkets and some convenience stores). It’s supposedly zero fat too and contains strawberry pulp.

Kiri cracker & cream cheese packets can be found in many convenience stores, as can Corn on the Cob (see the back of the packet for how long it needs in the microwave), Salted Rice Onigiri – this rice ball doesn’t have anything other than rice inside, Cucumber, Hamburger Steaks (there are various different brands of these in the freezer and fridge sections. The heat up time is written on the back. Some have a demiglace sauce and some have a Japanse style self pouring sauce inside the packet.

All of these items are from Family Mart. Boiled eggs, French Roll with pieces of cooked bacon and potato, Sea-Chicken (Tuna) and Corn Salad, Mandarin Jelly and Strawberry Milk.

Assorted Donuts, Karaage Bou (Fried Chicken on a skewer) – these are sold at the counter at 7-Eleven, Green Smoothie, Vegetable Sticks (different types come with different dipping sauces/dressings) , Tomato Rice Riceball with Egg with bacon or chicken pieces – called Omurice .

SOME PANTRY STAPLES IN CONVENIENCE STORES IN JAPAN
BOILED EGGS
Please note that this boiled eggs found in Japanese convenience stores are boiled in just salt – so they are also a great gluten free snack or breakfast on the go in Japan.

Top shelf : “Onsen Tamago” (explanation above), Dashimaki egg Second from the top shelf: Udon to make at home, Yakisoba to make at home, Imitation Crab, Kamaboko, Fishcake Chikuwa Sticks, Pickled Chinese Onions Second Shelf from the Bottom: Eggs Bottom Shelf: Bananas

Margarine , bread and jam
It is possible to buy white bread, margarine and blueberry or strawberry jam or peanut butter in convenience stores too. ( These are cheaper to purchase in a supermarket but if convenience is your number one priority, this is a good option. You will have additional types of bread to choose from in a supermarket too.)

One of the most popular brands of margarine sold in convenience stores, looks like this :

Neosoft Margarine. I also quite like a brand called Hotel Margarine. For a bigger range of butters and spreads – best to go to a supermarket.

This butter is in most convenience stores (more options at a supermarket though – but if you’re only looking at the convenient store – this is a standard option.)

This stick of butter is sold in most convenience stores in Japan (there are more options if you shop at a supermarket though.)

Olive Oil
Small bottles of olive oil are sold at Japanese convenience stores.

This is a throw together breakfast I made while staying at Sumii apartment Yoyogi-Uehara. All of these ingredients pictured (except for the tall sweet chilli sauce bottle at the back) were purchased at Family Mart. The small bottle that says Bosco is the olive oil.

Ham
Convenience stores sell the perfect amount of ham for when you’re on holidays.

Convenience store ham. There are a few slices in each package.

The ham and cheese selection at the Lawson right near Mimaru Osaka Namba North.
The tops shelf is the different types of ham.
The bright yellow rectangles are dashimaki tamago (rolled egg omelette with stock and some sweet sauce) and the next shelf down is the cheese sticks (a box with a tub of margarine to the left of the cheesesticks) and to the right of the cheese sticks are little portions of cheese and cheese slices. The package closer to the bottom of the pic with a red 50 – that’s yakisoba noodles and the flavouring is in the pack too. You can use google translate for the instructions on the back.

Bread
Sliced bread (for toast etc) is sold in the convenience stores but you might miss it as it can look a bit different to what you see at home. Loaves of sliced bread are sold in halves in Japan and the thickness is determined by how many slices are in the pack.

A six slice loaf of bread can look really small to those from other countries who don’t use rice more than or as much as they consume bread.

See how this one says 6 ? so it’s 6 thick slices of bread. You can also find 8 slices or 10 slices (this is more commonly found in the supermarket, not just the convenience stores though.)

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE 7-ELEVEN SMOOTHIES!
Look in the freezer section of 7-Eleven for a cup of pre-chopped and frozen fruit and veg. Then use the machine in-store to make it into a smoothie! You can even choose the acai option! Remember – this is just frozen fruit blended – making them vegan AND gluten free.

Now here are some to use if you have a kitchenette in your room (highly recommend when travelling with small kids or picky eaters or those with allergies):

*Please note that the Golden Curry (Japanese curry roux) VEGAN version is only sold overseas and I’ve never once spotted it in Japan. If this is on your “must eat” list in Japan, please be sure to bring it with you.*

Now, remember- you can buy ready made meat sauce pasta that you can microwave at your hotel or in the convenience store – however, if you’d like to make it fresh …
Convenience stores do sell dry pasta for cooking (in the pantry section), and meat sauces, pesto style sauces and there is often a napolitan sauce too . Napolitan is a Japanese ketchup spaghetti sauce – we really like it.
Top left of this picture is apple juice. Bottom left is a Lawson salad “1 portion of veg a day” salad, and bottom right is a margarine bread roll from the bakery aisle at Lawson (tastes better if it’s had a few mins under the grill of a Japanese toaster oven though.)

Extra pasta tip: above the salads are some packets of “salad chicken” which is a cooked chicken breast or thigh (depending on what you buy.) You can always mix chicken and the pesto sauce through pasta and have a chicken pesto pasta dish.

My kids love this “Gold” Hamburg steak from 7-Eleven. For fellow aussies, this is like eating really nice juicy beef rissoles (for the Americans, its like a juicy meatloaf kind of thing.) I recommend getting these and using the microwave at Hotel Imagine to heat it up. You can microwave it in the bag (google translate the instructions on the back) and it’s really nice to serve with convenience store microwaveable rice (pictured below.) See here if you’d like more suggestions on snacks and grocery items we love to buy in Japan.

Microwaveable rice (and it tastes really good!) Found at every convenience store. Google translate the instructions on the pack when heating up.

My kids love the ready made “meat sauce” pasta at convenience stores in Japan. Especially the one from 7-Eleven.

I know I won’t be winning any photography awards for this shot. You’re just going to have to trust me that my LOVE a convenience store “meat sauce pasta” in Japan.

Examples of other ready made meals at convenience store foods. This photo was taken at Lawson. You can use the microwave inside Lawson to heat or you can take it back to your accommodation. They will provide cutlery too, if you need. Top shelf: Salmon Roe Mochi Cheese Gratin, Shrimp Doria. Second shelf: Pork Garlic Ramen, Vegetable Tempura Soba, A Day’s worth of Veg Champon Noodles. Third shelf: Japanese Napolitan Pasta, Japanese style Pasta with Soy Sauce and Mushrooms, Cod Roe Pasta, Fettucine Carbonara Fourth shelf: Chilled Chinese Noodles, Peperoncino Spaghetti. Japanese Napolitan Pasta, Spicy Cod Roe Mayonnaise Pasta. Bottom shelf: Meat Sauce Spaghetti.

This is one for the aussies but – if your kids like steamed dimmies, they will like these steamed dumplings. Microwave instructions are on the pack.

Steamed Dumplings at Japanese convenience stores and also in the deli section at supermarkets.
This is one for the aussies but if your kids like steamed dimmies – they will like these.

See here for my tips on buying different types of milk in Japan.

This is more of a supermarket hack than a convenience store hack but…
I quite like buying simple pizzas like this in Japanese supermarkets and then loading it with veggies.