Comment by ctime | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ctime | Hacker News Reader

I tend to hit up convenience stores straight away when visiting non-freedomland destinations. Japan takes top honors. I've only been to Tokyo, but staying near shibuja or ropongi hills, the prepared food at 7/11, lawsons, family mart, are just amazing. I also tend to eat at Tesco or Spar in UK/IE (I just don't like eating huge meals alone) and I don't find those sandwiches much better than the US counter-parts (they are likely using the same machines and standard anglo-american components).

The article really dives into why the sandwiches are much better, tastier. Mind you I've lived within a block of fairly good Japanize food marts here that have very similar offerings (e.g. Nijiya Market) and would go there to get my fix every few weeks, but the quality and taste really wasn't the same (e.g. the rice wasn't as good and seemed day-old).

Really, everything in Japan had my 80's kid brain going nuts with joy. I didn't much like how prevant smoking was (nor getting kicked out of restaurants for not being Japanese), but I'll take the good with the bad (like anywhere). Absolutely amazing place.

One of my favorite parts of leaving japan is loading up on the sandwiches/rice balls at the airport - from the 7/11 vending machines in the seating area.. god I love that country.

The sandwiches in delis in petrol stations in Ireland are fantastic, in my biased opinion. Nice fresh rolls with fresh ingredients - and not as heavy as something like Subway. Handy in a pinch.

100% and they stand in stark contrast to the abominations that you get in the US. It took me a couple of attempts before I unlearned that one.

Meh you have to be more adventurous. Wawa, QuickChek, Cumberland Farms, Sheetz, Stewarts, etc. That's in the north east mostly.

Yeah Wawa rules. Growing up there never seemed to be much competition from larger chains. A 7/11 opened near me shortly before I moved, and the reason why became glaringly obvious: total garbage.

The Japanese sandwiches are trash too. It's not a bread country, so fair play, but this article is silly.

I’ve had enough Wawa sandwiches during my several years in the greater New York area. They are not garbage by any means, but also nothing to write home about.

Or a unnamed gas station in Louisiana, serving crackling and boudin as side to poboy.

In Poland, the Baltics and Northern Europe you can get very good food and drinks in petrol stations, especially Circle K - which is originally a US brand. They have self serve coffee machines that make fresh bean to cup coffee - it's usually cheaper and better than what you will find in chain coffee shops. Then they have a selection of freshly made sandwiches and other hot food that is made in front of you.

Taiwan convenience stores are similar, minus the xenophobia.

I believe there are very few xenophobia in Japanese convenience stores because many workers are foreigner and it's general service in nationwide. Some restaurants could be operated by xenophobian.

I've never experienced xenophobia in a Japanese convenience store (I'm an obvious white foreigner).

The original poster said they had. Not everyone will experience it, but it does exist. There are restaurants that won't allow non-Japanese in.

OP was complaining about restaurants, not convenience stores.

I'm also pretty surprised to hear that they were "kicked out" of a restaurant. Being refused entry is an actual if pretty rare thing, but there's something more than a language barrier going on if they're told to GTFO halfway through a meal.

I've lived for 8 years in Japan and haven't had a single incident of xenophobia at a konbini.

Though I will say I got a chuckle out of the ojisan who threw a perfect Microwaveでwarmしますか？ at me once :-)

Surprised the article didn't mention that you are generally welcome to use the restroom in a Japanese convenience store, which will usually have a spotless toilet with fancy robotic bidet features. At least in Tokyo a few years back, it seemed true of every place you went and it makes American cities seem savage and inhospitable in comparison.

They’re bidet-less but I’v never been to a convenience store without a bathroom in the US - but they’d all be gas stations as well for me. Is that a thing in inner cities?

Also, the actual public toilets in Tokyo are some of the worst that I’ve seen.

It’s Europe that’s inhospitable, bathroom-wise. First you have to find one, and then you need to pay. I don’t see how that makes business sense to me. If people are stopping to go to the bathroom there’s a good chance they’ll buy something.

By spotless toilet with a robotic bidet, I suppose you mean the washlet that's usually covered in fecal matter. Trust me, you don't wanna accidentally look under there.

Anyway, you're a madman if you're using a public washlet! Also have you ever seen a park toilet here. I shudder just thinking about it. Zero privacy urinals open to the world, or a squat toilet that the last 100 people didn't so much as aim into, but rather aim at. A layer of urine nicely coating the floor is typically your welcome as well.

The only "spotless" toilets I have seen have been in hotels and nice department stores, and sometimes the disabled toilets in some stations.

If you ever make it to Hawai'i, check out our Minit Stops - shockingly good food.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com