Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Konbini Wars

voronoi map of conbini stores in a district of Tokyo

Imagine being able to walk down any street and being only minutes away from your next snack, a freshly brewed coffee, or even a place to pay your bills. This is the magic of konbini - Japan's beloved convenience stores that have become an integral part of Japanese daily life.

In Japan, you don’t have to travel very far before encountering a konbini convenience store. These compact stores are renowned for their ability to provide an impressive variety of high-quality goods and services, despite their small size. Popular chains like 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart are practically everywhere, offering unparalleled convenience at every corner.

The major chains like 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart, are ubiquitous across the country; however, certain chains may have a stronger presence in specific regions due to historical, business, or geographic reasons. In addition to the big three (7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart), some smaller or more regional konbini chains operate in specific areas. While they may not be as common nationally, they are often beloved in their local areas. For example, the Seicomart chain is located mainly in Hokkaido and is well known for its local products.

If you are curious to see who’s winning the battle for Japan’s streets you can now discover which Konbini chains dominate which territory in Japan using the ConbiniWars interactive map. At the heart of the map are the locations of nearly 55,000 konbini stores across the whole of Japan. When zoomed out on the map, a choropleth overlay shows the konbini chain with the most stores in each prefecture. Zoom in on the map, and a voronoi layer appears that partitions the whole of the country based on the closest konbini chain.

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