When I came to Japan’s frozen north to live in a ski resort, I thought I would be writing rather more posts about my training to become a ski instructor. But fate dealt me a curveball in the form of frostbite. With my toes turning more alarming shades of blue each day, I was forced off the slopes to avoid an amputation or two.
Where could I turn my attention instead? True, I was in Japan, a fascinating and largely unknown country to me. But I was also based in Hirafu, one of the most westernised communities in the entire country. Downtown during the winter months, you are far more likely to encounter Aussies and Brits, plus a smattering of well-heeled Taiwanese and Singaporeans, than any actual Japanese people. Pizza, pasta and burgers are on display beside the ramen shops and yakitoris (a style of restaurant serving barbecued skewered meats).
But one province of Japanese culture is alive and well in Hiarfu, namely the konbini. A colloquial term for convenience store, the konbini are loosely equivalent to UK corner shops, but, really, they are much more than that. They are a cultural institution that typifies modern Japan: bright, densely packed, slightly overwhelming and, above all, convenient. With well over 50,000 outlets across the country, konbini can be found on every street corner, providing not just food, but also microwaves, manga, cash machines, parcel deliveries, scanners, cinema tickets and just about anything else the modern citizen might require on a Monday morning.
For all the bells and whistles, bodily sustenance remains the beating heart that keeps the tills ticking over night and day. Living in a small town with no kitchen facilities or personal transport, I’ve become rather familiar with the konbini aisles these past couple of months. And so, without further ado, here are my top 10 konbini classics:
1) Onigiri
An inevitable choice for the number one spot, onigiri have been on display in every convenience store I’ve entered since landing in Sapporo. Serve them hot, serve them cold, make them triangles or make them discs, the onigiri can be broken down into three basic elements. First, the white rice, cooked until its starch adheres into a palm-sized bundle. Then, the filling, most often salmon or tuna, but also kelp simmered in soy sauce or pickled plums for the more adventurous. Wrapped in a crisp nori (dried seaweed) shell, the onigiri is the ultimate Japanese snack food.
2) Karaage
Hot on the heels of the onigiri, konbini karaage is Japan’s answer to Colonel Sanders. Kept warm and succulent beneath heat lamps beside the tills, the chicken may come in fillets, bite-sized nuggets or chunks on skewers. Whatever the incarnation, expect a golden, crisp and slightly chewy batter, tender meat and plenty of seasoning. An unapologetic appeal to the caveman brain, with this temptation on every street in the land, it’s a miracle the Japanese maintain the lowest obesity rate in the developed world.
3) Sushi
Rounding out the top three is this country’s most famous culinary export: sushi. Specifically, nigiri sushi, the iconic style featuring an oval-shaped chunk of rice draped in a (usually) seafood topping. You’ll find the familiar salmon and butterflied prawn offerings doing the rounds, but keep an eye out for variety boxes sporting mackerel, salmon roe and conger eel. Paired with pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi in your chosen proportions, it’s easy to see why this celebration of fresh fish has conquered the world.
4) Pocari Sweat
Browse the chiller cabinet of your typical konbini, and be confronted by a barrage of exotic and sometimes inexplicable beverages. Leading the line-up is the Pocari Sweat, a citrusy isotonic drink beloved of sports enthusiasts and hangover sufferers. Naming one’s beverage after a bodily secretion is a bold marketing tactic, but one that has undeniably paid off for Pocari. If this doesn’t quench your thirst, feel free to follow it up with a bottle of the milk-based Calpis, a drink that seems forever condemned to be lost in translation as cow’s piss.
5) Bento
At its simplest, the bento is Japan’s answer to the packed lunch. Traditional components include rice or noodles, cooked fish or meat, and an assortment of vegetables, some steamed and others pickled. But beyond these humble ingredients lie insights into the Japanese character. The meals are colourful, well-balanced and beautifully arranged, sometimes with plastic dividers made to resemble grass. Mothers may be expected to meticulously prepare bento for their children to take to school, and a luxury incarnation, featuring multiple tiers and choice delicacies, is a centrepiece of the New Year table.
6) Yakisoba Pan
For those in the mood for carbs, look no further than the yakisoba pan. An oblong bread roll rather like a hotdog bun is sliced open on one side and stuffed full of fried wheat noodles. Variations are to be found in noodle thickness and seasoning, though the most common is spaghetti-width flavoured with a brownish condiment reminiscent of Worcester sauce. If this still hasn’t shattered your diet plan, look for one of the messy ones slathered in mayonnaise.
7) Sake
Rice is the gift that keeps on giving in Japan, and, thanks to sake, you can even get drunk on the stuff. The brewing process is comparable to beer, where starch is converted to sugars that ferment into alcohol. Unlike beer, sake has a pretty high alcohol content (around 15% ABV), making it a dangerous drink to be confronted with on a night out. Served in small cups that are frequently replenished from a tokkuri (ceramic flask) in the centre of the table, one moment you are quietly sipping away and the next you are singing your heart out in a neon-lit karaoke booth.
8) Melonpan
Named for its supposed resemblance to the fruit, melonpan or “melon bread” is a cookie-dough covered bun perfect for satisfying those sweet bakery cravings. Traditionally, there was nothing melon-y about the taste, but, over time, some manufacturers have started to add melon flavouring. Look out for the tell-tale golden-brown lattice of cookie-dough crowning the domed surface, and relish the textural contrast as you chomp through the crisp topping to reach yielding sweet bun beneath.
9) Crunky
A delicious mixture of milk chocolate and malt puffs, Crunky has a satisfying snap and a flavour that takes me straight back to the Rice Krispie cakes of my childhood. Named for its crunchy texture, the standard pack slides open to reveal gold-leaf wrapped nuggets of cocoa-based bliss. In case you’re after more crisp confections, I’ll also give an honourable mention to Pocky, a pocket-sized collection of slender biscuit sticks coated close to their tips in a layer of smooth chocolate.
10) Mochi
Rounding out the desserts, mochi is a rice cake made from glutinous rice steamed and pounded into a sticky paste. Making mochi the traditional way requires a degree of courage, since the rice is rhythmically pounded by one person with a kine (wooden mallet), while the other reaches in deftly to turn and wet the mixture. Beating the starch in this way creates a chewy texture, and the base ingredient may then be flavoured and filled with all manner of sweet treats. Perhaps best known is the Daifuku (literally “great luck”), comprising a round disc of mochi wrapped around a sugary paste made from red azuki beans. Serve with green tea, and try not to let the Emperor see how much you’ve managed to get stuck between your teeth.