Foreigners tend to view Japanese convenience stores as "24-hour snack shops." Locals treat them as 24-hour banks, post offices, copy shops, ticket centers, and storage hubs. This guide breaks down 8 hidden konbini functions, so your Japan trip never gets stuck on "I want to do something but cannot find the right place."
The bottom line: 7-Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson are Japan’s most powerful multi-function infrastructure
The three major chains each operate roughly 20,000 stores in Japan, with one konbini every 200-500 meters in most cities, the majority open 24 hours.
Function 1: ATM withdrawals (foreign cards accepted)
7-Eleven 7&i ATMs are the traveler’s first choice:
1. 25,000 ATMs nationwide, operating 24 hours. 2. Accept Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB, and American Express. 3. Multilingual interface in English, Chinese, and Korean (choose the language on screen). 4. Per-transaction limit of 100,000 yen, 220-yen handling fee. 5. Daily card limits depend on your home bank (confirm overseas withdrawal limits on your Taiwan / mainland card before departure).
Lawson Bank ATMs, JP Bank ATMs, Family Mart E-net ATMs offer similar service, though older machines support fewer cards. We recommend 7-Eleven as the default.
Function 2: multifunction copiers and printers
Every large konbini hosts a "multi copy machine" with the following features:
1. Print PDFs, Word docs, and photos: upload by USB, Wi-Fi, or app. A4 black-and-white at 10 yen per page, A4 color at 50 yen, photos 30-200 yen.
2. Print electronic tickets, online concert tickets, and event tickets: enter the booking code and the system prints physical tickets.
3. Scan: 50 yen per page, with PDF output emailed to yourself on some models.
4. Fax (rare but available): 50-100 yen per domestic page.
5. Print official documents: residents can print koseki and driver-license documents — not relevant for tourists.
Note: interfaces are primarily Japanese, with English options on newer models. Lawson and Family Mart copiers are friendlier to foreigners (newer units have more complete English menus).
Function 3: collect concert, baseball, shinkansen, and movie tickets
After booking online, Japanese people commonly collect physical tickets at a konbini. Travelers can do the same:
1. Ticket Pia: concerts, theater, bands, sports events. Collect at Lawson or Family Mart.
2. Lawson Ticket: Lawson’s own ticketing system, collected at any Lawson nationwide.
3. e+ (eplus): a general ticketing platform, collected at Family Mart.
4. JTB / View / Kinki Nippon Tourist: domestic travel and highway bus tickets.
Workflow: the booking site issues a "yoyaku bango" (reservation number) plus a "ninshou bango" (authentication number) → enter both into the konbini terminal (Loppi / FAMI Port / multi copy machine) → the machine prints the ticket → take it to the register to pay → receive the official ticket.
Popular tourist tickets: Disney, Universal Studios Japan, Fuji-Q Highland, Tokyo and Osaka pro baseball, sumo. Foreign visitors can collect them all at Lawson or Family Mart.
Function 4: send packages and receive takkyubin
Every konbini partners with Yamato, Sagawa, and Japan Post for parcel handling:
1. Sending packages: grab a form in the store, fill it out (staff will help), drop off, and pay. See our "luggage shipping" guide for details.
2. Receiving deliveries: Amazon Japan and Rakuten orders can ship to the konbini. The system sends a QR code → enter it at the in-store terminal → collect. Free pickup 24 hours a day.
Function 5: pay utility bills (electricity, gas, taxes, national health insurance)
This is mainly for residents and rarely relevant to travelers. However, some credit card statements (ICBC, China Merchants Bank, certain Taiwanese bank Tokyo branches) can be paid through konbini.
Function 6: post mail, buy stamps, drop in the mailbox
Konbini sell Japan Post stamps (63 yen for postcards, 84 yen for envelopes), and some stores have a red mailbox outside for posting letters.
International postage rates:
1. Postcards to Taiwan: 90 yen, arriving in 7-10 days. 2. Postcards to mainland China: 110 yen, arriving in 10-15 days. 3. Postcards to Hong Kong: 90 yen, arriving in 7-10 days. 4. Postcards to Europe and America: 90-110 yen, arriving in 10-15 days.
Buy the stamp, stick it on, drop the card in the red mailbox outside the store, and international mail arrives in 7-15 days. Sending a souvenir postcard to family or to yourself is a classic move.
Function 7: charging, emergency power, Wi-Fi
1. Phone fast charging: some konbini have ChargeSPOT shared power banks outside. Scan a QR to borrow — 200 yen for 30 minutes, 600 yen for 6 hours.
2. Charge at in-store tables: some 24-hour konbini provide chairs, tables, and outlets, good for a short rest and recharge.
3. Free Wi-Fi: Family Mart and Lawson both offer free Wi-Fi (1-3 hours per session, email registration required).
Function 8: takeout onigiri, bento, hot bento, and "alcohol (food)"
A basic function, but worth noting:
1. Konbini food vastly exceeds tourist expectations — onigiri, bento, pasta, curry, salads, and sweets all hit high standards (see "Konbini food recommendations").
2. ATM + food + hot machine coffee (100-300 yen) = a complete meal for 500-1,000 yen.
Differences across the three chains
7-Eleven: 21,000 stores nationwide, strongest ATMs, tastiest onigiri (Seven Premium brand), red signage.
Family Mart: 16,000 stores nationwide, widest multifunction copier coverage, mid-tier onigiri, blue-green-white signage.
Lawson: 14,000 stores nationwide, best sweets (Premium Roll Cake), strongest ticketing, blue-and-white striped signage.
Pro tip 1: use the konbini as a "temporary office"
The cheapest temporary office in Japan for business travelers is a 24-hour konbini:
1. In-store chairs and tables (in some locations). 2. Free Wi-Fi. 3. Copy and print (for emergency contracts or slides). 4. 200-yen hot coffee plus a 300-yen sandwich = 5 hours of workspace for 1,500 yen.
Pro tip 2: emergency printing — Family Mart is the easiest
Prepare digital tickets and hotel confirmations before departure. At Family Mart, use the FamiPri app over Wi-Fi: upload the PDF, get a print code, and print at the multifunction machine. The English interface is friendly.
Pro tip 3: mail a postcard to family
Pick up a souvenir postcard during your trip (available at konbini or tourist sites, 100-200 yen), write your family’s address, attach a 90-yen stamp, and drop it in the red mailbox outside the store. In 1-2 weeks your family in Taiwan / mainland China receives it, a classic and charming souvenir. Avoid writing sensitive personal information on international mail.
Pro tip 4: Lawson’s special checkout machines
Some Lawson locations feature Lawson Smart Express self-checkout, where you skip the queue entirely (IC card tap to pay). Flagship stores in central Tokyo and Osaka offer this service.
On your next konbini visit, do not just buy water and onigiri — try the ATM, print a souvenir photo, or buy a postcard. Japanese convenience stores are the invisible infrastructure of the city, and using them well will upgrade your travel quality by an entire tier.