In Japan On A Budget? Convenience Stores Come In Handy

Cooking from a convenience store!

For the average hungry traveler with a slim wallet, Kyoto, among other Japanese cities, can offer various appealing breakfast options. For less than five U.S. dollars, you can indulge in a steaming bowl of rice and marinated meat at Yoshinoya or Sukiya, or opt for a small coffee at one of the ubiquitous Starbucks shops. But sometimes your palette hungers for something other than the reliable product of a chain eatery, no matter how close it approximates the craving for a favorite savory dish on the quick. Just as there’s a time and a place for the predictable, there’s always room for an indulgent and impulsive cooking adventure in any city! Where there’s a hungry stomach, a well-stocked Japanese convenience store, and a working stove within reach, there’s a way.

On a weekend trip to Kyoto, my friend and fellow JST contributor, Lucas, and I started scheming. The gist of our plans was to take over the kitchen in our hostel and raid the convenience store, or konbini, for the ingredients for our morning meal. At one a.m., we scavenged the aisles of the nearest Lawson for the raw materials for a delicious continental breakfast. The ingredients totaled around three dollars a head for our group of four friends.

Several hours later we tiptoed around our slumbering travel companions and made our way down to the kitchen. Our findings were pretty standard, including eggs, toast, and orange juice. We were counting on the kitchen to supply us with the sharpest knife and flip-ready frying pan it could offer. At least I was confident in Lucas’ skills, knowing his training has the depth and breadth from being an executive chef at a Hong Kong restaurant, in addition to having a profound and eloquent appreciation for all things culinary.

And we weren’t disappointed. In fact, the product of our preparation (to be quite honest, Lucas did all the real cooking) turned out to be the most delicious Hong Kong-style omelet I didn’t even know could exist. In no time he was tossing caramelized onions in a saucepan and turning out a steaming composition of softened peppers and the soft caps of shimeji mushrooms folded into a fluffy cloud of egg.

Aside from paper-thin walls and soggy bathmats, I remember our hostel experience with nostalgia. Oh, the warmth of good friends and food. I’m glad we decided to cook from the konbini, if only for one meal. And I’m sure at least some of the other guests lounging near the hostel kitchen that morning wished they had done the same.

Article written by Marina Kaneko.