FamilyMart in Japan

Last updated August 2026

FamilyMart (ファミリーマート) is Japan's second-largest convenience store chain, with around 16,000 locations nationwide. Open 24 hours, it's found throughout Japan's cities, suburbs, and shopping areas — and like all Japanese konbini, it offers a level of food quality that puts most Western convenience stores to shame.

What to Buy at FamilyMart Japan

FamiChiki — The Signature Item

FamiChiki is FamilyMart's famous fried chicken — a large, seasoned, breaded chicken piece kept warm near the register. It has a devoted following in Japan and is consistently ranked as one of the best fried chicken options among the major konbini chains. At around ¥220–¥250, it's a filling snack or light meal on its own. Ask the staff to heat it if it seems cool.

Other Hot Foods

• Nikuman (steamed buns) — Soft pork-filled buns kept warm in a steamer; available in pork, cheese, and seasonal flavors
• Fried items — Rotating selection of croquettes, spring rolls, and karaage near the register

Sandwiches and Onigiri

FamilyMart's onigiri (rice balls) and sandwiches are on par with the other major chains. Look for the tuna mayo, salmon, and mentaiko (spicy cod roe) onigiri as solid starting points. Sandwiches use soft Japanese milk bread and come in egg salad, ham and cheese, and katsu varieties.

Sweets and Desserts

FamilyMart is particularly known for its premium soft serve ice cream, available in-store at a dedicated machine. Custard puddings, roll cakes, and seasonal limited sweets round out a strong dessert selection.

Coffee

FamilyMart operates a self-serve coffee machine (FamiCafé) offering hot and iced espresso drinks for ¥110–¥220. Consistent quality across locations.

Where Is FamilyMart From?

FamilyMart is a Japanese company, founded in 1978 and headquartered in Tokyo. It was built from the ground up as a Japanese brand — not related to any US convenience store chain. FamilyMart has since expanded across Asia, with locations in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines, but its Japanese stores remain the flagship. The chain is one of the defining examples of Japan's world-class konbini culture.

Beyond Food: FamilyMart Services

Like most major Japanese konbini, FamilyMart offers services that go well beyond snacks — useful to know as a traveler:

• Printing and copying — Multifunction printers at most locations accept USB drives or files sent from your phone via app. Handy for printing e-tickets, hotel reservations, or travel documents.
• Famiport terminal — In-store kiosks that can be used to purchase event tickets and pay certain bills. Mostly in Japanese but widely used by locals.
• IC card top-up — Most registers can reload Suica and Pasmo cards directly at the counter.
• ATM (E-net) — Accepts many foreign Visa and Mastercard cards. See ATM section above for notes on reliability vs. 7-Eleven.

FamilyMart in Major Japanese Cities

FamilyMart is particularly dominant in the Kansai region — Osaka and Kyoto have a noticeably higher FamilyMart-to-7-Eleven ratio compared to Tokyo. In Tokyo, all three major chains (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson) are well-represented. Fukuoka, Sapporo, Hiroshima, and Nagoya all have solid FamilyMart coverage. Use the Konbini tab on US Food in Japan to find the nearest FamilyMart near you.

ATMs and Payment

FamilyMart uses E-net ATMs, which accept many foreign Visa and Mastercard bank cards. However, 7-Eleven Japan ATMs are generally considered more universally reliable for foreign cards — if you're having trouble at a FamilyMart ATM, a 7-Eleven is the recommended fallback.

For purchases, FamilyMart accepts cash, IC cards (Suica, Pasmo), credit cards, and at most locations Apple Pay and Google Pay.