JR East's new Takanawa Gateway Station to feature robot guide and unstaffed convenience store
East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday a robotic guide utilizing artificial intelligence and an unstaffed convenience store will feature at a new station slated to open in Tokyo in April 2020. JR East hopes to make Takanawa Gateway Station on the Yamanote Line a model ...
2010s: The decade Japanese food took over the world
Japanese food experienced an international boom in the 2010s, and now you can find everything from ramen to egg sandwiches across the globe.
FamilyMart to allow shorter operating hours at stores across Japan
Convenience store operator FamilyMart Co. has said it will allow its franchise owners across Japan to shorten operating hours from March, in a bid to address a severe labor shortage during late-night hours. Under the new policy, which will cover nearly 16,000 stores, franchise owners ...
Seven-Eleven Japan to end some 24-hour operations amid labor crunch
Seven-Eleven Japan Co. is ending 24-hour operations at some outlets, becoming the first major convenience store operator to scale back around-the-clock hours to address Japan's labor crunch. Eight stores will begin cutting back on their operating hours on Nov. 1, because they are finding it ...
Japan convenience store chain Ministop tests shorter operating hours at franchise outlets
Convenience store operator Ministop Co. is experimenting with shortened service hours at dozens of its franchise shops. Seventy stores have signed up for the trial, which began in September and runs until the end of February. The initiative will be expanded if more stores wish ...
Seven & I Holdings to cut 3,000 jobs and close 1,000 7-Eleven convenience stores across Japan
The number of domestic convenience stores operated by Seven-Eleven Japan Co. dropped by 24 in September from the previous month to 20,993, marking the first fall in five years, company officials said Friday. The figures came a day after its parent, Seven & I Holdings ...
One-hundred Lawson stores to close on New Year's Day amid Japan's labor crunch
Convenience store chain operator Lawson Inc. said Wednesday that it will close around 100 outlets, less than 1 percent of its nationwide network of over 14,000 stores, on Jan. 1, 2020. The closure will be carried out on a trial basis as part of work-style ...
Japan's consumers and workers struggle to adjust on first day of consumption tax hike
Under a system intended to lighten the burden on low income households, tax rates for foods vary depending on where items are consumed, causing confusion for many.
U.S. Seven-Eleven body to work with Japan peers to highlight difficulty of 24/7 operations
A U.S. body representing Seven-Eleven convenience store owners said Thursday it will seek to work together with Japanese owners on tackling the issue of running 24-hour operations in a tight labor market. "We want to help (the Japanese franchisees) to get started in lobbying and ...
Japan convenience store sales rose in August for first time in three months
Japan's convenience store sales rose 0.8 percent in August from a year earlier for the first increase in three months as temperatures helped boost sales of beverages and ice cream, an industry body said Friday. Same-store sales at seven major convenience store operators totaled ¥936.3 ...
Amazon Japan G.K. on Wednesday started a locker delivery service, Amazon Hub, aimed at enhancing convenience for customers and reducing the need for re-deliveries. The e-commerce giant has installed lockers at FamilyMart Co. convenience stores and other locations for customers to pick up their packages. Amazon ...
Unpicking the mysteries of a Japanese convenience store at night
"Ping-pong, ping-pong! Ping-pong, ping-pong!" The automatic doors slide open and you step onto the mat on the inside of the convenience store. A strong smell of freshly brewed coffee hits you from the counter where a woman is making herself a ¥100 cup. There is ...
