Quick Eats in Japan

First time visitors to Japan seem to marvel at the country’s many vending machines and convenience stores. While I don’t think I ever got excited over their vending machines and convenience stores, I appreciated their existence. If you’re anything like me when you travel, when you’re on the go, you just want to grab something, pay for it and be done with it.

Being on the go constantly is rough, but when you’re traveling, you may end up defaulting to this pace simply because you want to see and do as much as you can. This is why the idea of wasting my precious time at a sit in diner is off putting to me, especially when nearby patrons may be smoking as you attempt to enjoy the smell of natto for breakfast.

So, conveniences stores and vending machines can be a lifesaver for travelers. Unfortunately, convenience stores and vending machines have a down side to them in that they aren’t meant for daily consumption. No matter how superior Japan’s convenience stores are to our Circle K and 7-11s, you’re bound to become somewhat unhealthy if all you eat is food from conbinis and vending machines.

Now, I know you might be wondering why I’m mentioning vending machines. The thing is, in Japan, drinks aren’t always the only thing sold inside vending machines.

While I didn’t come across fancy vending machines that offer “real” food, I did come across a few machines that offered something edible. Out of curiosity’s sake and some amount of hunger, I gave vending machine food a try.

Let me just say that nothing beats fresh food.

Canned Corn Potage

Corn potage is comfort food. I love corn potage from the now closed Curry House. Heck, I even love instant corn potage from that one Hokkaido brand. So, corn potage in a can seemed like pure gold with it being affordable and mess-free. The canned corn potage even had chunks of corn in it. Like, how much more legit can you get? Let’s just say it was an attempt to make it legit. The potage was warm. It was chunky at the bottom. It didn’t taste fresh. (Why anyone would expect it to taste fresh is beyond me.) Tastewise, it was ok. Definitely not my type of corn potage, but it wasn’t bad.

Overall, the experience was weird because by default, I expect items from vending machines to be cold. Not that I wanted to eat my canned corn potage cold; I just found it strange. Like, I was expecting it to be warm but at the same time, was upset that this item had been sitting warm for a ridiculously long time before I came around to purchase it. In my mind, I couldn’t help but to think the soup had traces of BPA, or something along those lines. (Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised.)

The potage made me feel a bit icky some time after. It’s not that the potage in a can was expired but more so that it was not fresh OR was just too chunky.

Pudding in a can

Finding purin in a can was somewhat exciting. Unfortunately, it was a bit annoying to consume since it was impossible to finish all of the purin. Nice concept but I honestly would rather have purin, traditionally. In a container, eaten by a spoon. As for the taste, let me just say, I’ve had better purin elsewhere.

Onigiri

You’ll always find some type of onigiri at the convenience store. Since I could only eat the kelp one, eating onigiri got old for me quickly. Besides, I’ve never been a fan of rice, so it was hard on me to consume that much rice each day.

Custard breads

Custard breads are pretty easy to find inside convenience stores. They’re a good fix for anyone that wants something sweet, but not too sweet. Just keep in mind that these things are full of calories.

Inari sushi

Inari sushi is somewhat of a rarity to find in convenience stores. I’m not sure if I visit convenience stores at the wrong time or something but I rarely ever run into inari sushi. It’s always onigiri that greets me. Occasionally, sandwiches will greet me, too. So, trust me, when I say that inari sushi is rare to find. What’s probably even more rare is inari sushi that has wasabi in it. Don’t ask me how but I managed to get scrumptious inari sushi from Sendai. It honestly was a pleasant surprise when I bit into this inari sushi for dinner on the shinkansen. A surprise because I didn’t notice beforehand that wasabi was written on the wrapper of my sushi. While I’m not crazy about wasabi, this inari sushi was honestly the best inari sushi I’ve ever had. The amount of wasabi flakes in it was also perfect. Not too much and not too little. Perfect.

If any of you ever feel like you’re coming down with something or are just feeling cold, I recommend eating this wasabi inari sushi. It will make you feel better. Trust me on it!

Obviously, I didn’t eat too well while in Japan. If there’s anything I learned from my time in Japan, it’s to not make sightseeing a priority to the point that you disregard your own well being. Even if you’re not a foodie, it’s best to set aside time within your travels to eat fresh meals. Aside from feeling like I had no time to sit in a restaurant, the bulk of restaurants in Japan still cater to smoking patrons. Not sure who’d want to eat in a smoke infested restaurant, but there’s a reason why I was always very wary of entering restaurants. Fortunately, Japan seems to be in the process of transforming restaurants into completely smoke free environments. So, by 2021 (or later, perhaps), travelers accustomed to smoke free dining may be able to enjoy dining in Japan, worry-free.