Minnaka: New unstaffed convenience store opens in Tokyo with cheap bentos and Costco food

Japanese entrepreneur reimagines the comfort retailer with distinctive options for purchasers.

On this planet of Japanese comfort shops, huge gamers like Lawson, 7-Eleven and Household Mart are likely to dominate the scene, muscling out smaller gamers with their recognition and making it tough for any new names to enter the taking part in area.

Nevertheless, a brand new comfort retailer chain known as Minnaka is now stepping out in Japan, opening its first retailer within the metropolis of Tokorozawa, in Tokyo’s neighbouring prefecture of Saitama on 1 August final yr. Now, lower than a yr later, the chain has arrived in Tokyo, opening its doorways in Higashi-Ikebukuro on 1 March.

▼ The brand new Tokyo location.

Within the seven months since its debut, Minnaka has been making waves regionally, with clients praising it for its distinctive vibe and stunning specials, which embrace Costco merchandise and low cost Japanese bentos. It’s positively value a visit to expertise it for your self, and to get there, it’s only a seven-minute stroll from the east exit of Ikebukuro Station.

▼ The shop is situated on the east facet of this intersection.

Regardless of the heavy visitors, that is largely a residential space recognized for affordable lease, making it the right residence for a budget-friendly comfort retailer chain like Minnaka.

▼ Minnaka sits on Meiji Road, in a location that was as soon as a 100-yen store.

Whenever you step inside Minnaka, you’ll come throughout a safety gate on the entrance. This isn’t one thing you’ll often see at Japanese comfort shops, however it’s been put in place to make sure security and effectivity at instances when the shop is unstaffed.

▼ These gates are outfitted with facial recognition know-how.

Whereas a lot of the choices inside are much like what you’d discover at most comfort shops, the highest suggestions are the Japanese curry, which is priced at an excellent low cost 322 yen (US$2.16)…

▼ in Minnaka Bento (322 your)….

▼ …the Bonito & Ginger rice ball (106 yen)…

▼ …and the Costco dinner rolls (193 yen for a pack of six).

Sure, that’s proper — this comfort retailer sells Costco merchandise, with a few of the different choices being excessive rollers and cheese tarts.

▼ All this value simply 951 yen.

The curry rice has a a lot stronger flavour than most comfort retailer curries, and whereas there isn’t as a lot rice, the standard of the curry greater than makes up for it.

The Minnaka bento accommodates a pork-and-vegetable stir-fry, pickles, greens, a slice of omelette, and an enormous potato croquette. The stir-fry didn’t have plenty of seasoning after we tried it, which was a disgrace, however general this was value-for-money bento.

The onigiri doesn’t have a standard filling, because the ginger and bonito is blended calmly by way of the rice as a substitute. This protects on prices for each the chain and the patron with out compromising on flavour because it’s nonetheless a good-tasting rice ball.

▼ The producer is listed as “Minnakakai”, Minnaka’s working firm.

The bread rolls are a enjoyable introduction to Costco items, giving the chain one other distinctive edge on the principle opponents. At night time, it turns into an unstaffed comfort retailer, with a lock on the fridge containing alcoholic drinks that may be unlocked by those that register their proof of age on the shop’s official Line account.

It’s definitely one of the vital distinctive comfort shops you’ll discover in Tokyo, and it’s all because of Tomoaki Iguchi, a distinguished Japanese entrepreneur and businessman who based the chain out of his fondness for comfort shops. It has the stamp of a comfort retailer lover throughout it, with a person really feel that takes issues into new territory, and we hope to see extra of them popping up quickly in different areas.

Retailer informationMinnaka Higashi Ikebukuro Retailer / Minnaka Higashi Ikebukuro Handle: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Higashi Ikebukuro 2-62-7 2-62-7 Higashi Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo Open: 24 hours day-after-day

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