Remember this post about Limited Edition Conbini Candy? I’m happy to report that several years on, Japan is just as obsessed with Limited Edition Candy as it was before. Here’s a summer 2017 snippet of some seasonal sweets on Japan’s conbini shelves - some super,...
When something takes off in Japan, it gets huge. For a hot minute. People have no qualms with waiting in a long line for hours, out in the butt-ass cold, to get their hands on the newest HOT food trend from abroad...
Umami Mart is a place where ideas and people come together, take charge and create magic. This is true for the blog, the online shop, and our brick-and-mortar space in Oakland, CA. When writers, friends, friends of friends, customers, food + drink enthusiasts, and...
I went to college in the States after I graduated from high school in Japan. I learned how to speak English and how to eat two portions. After a year, I gained 30 pounds. I didn't feel so guilty when living in the States but...
A few weeks ago, one of my professors went off on a tangent while lecturing: “I was looking through a text book which read, ‘Japanese are nature-loving people.’ As if other people don’t love nature! I don’t know where you’re from, but many places also...
Conbinis are everywhere in Japan. Lawson, 7-Eleven, AM/PM, Yamazaki Daily, to name a few. You throw a rock, and you would probably hit three conbinis simultaneously. Well, let me tell you, that only happens in urban Japan. I grew up in Wakayama,...
*For the next week, we will be celebrating conbini culture on Umami Mart, in preparation for the opening of U-MART on Tuesday 6/25. Check back every day for a new Conbini Cabaret article. Umami for life! -KA The first time in my life I stepped...
Conbini is a shortened word for "convenience" which is referred to when talking about convenience stores in Japan. Littered around on any street corner in most cities, conbinis are like a typical corner store, or bodega -- but from the future. They...
It all started out so innocently, like any of Yoko's casual ideas: "Why don't we add a konbini to the back of the store???" A konbini inside Umami Mart?!?!?! This will go onto the wall of Genius Yoko Ideas, on par with:...
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay updated on new products, events, and deals!