Tokyo’s omnipresent convenience stores — known as konbini — have extended a lifeline to some 42,000 accredited foreigners who converged here for the Games. As Japanese author Sayaka Murata writes in her novel “Convenience Store Woman”:AdvertisementA convenience store is a world of sound. It all blends into the convenience store sound that ceaselessly caresses my eardrums …A convenience store is not merely a place where customers come to buy practical necessities. American convenience stores, often linked to gas stations, have conditioned customers to expect something different, as in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Red Vines. The mention of convenience stores among Americans here prompts smiles and starts everyone chattering about their favorite purchases.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 07, 2021 11:02 UTC