Clouds on the horizon in Japan’s conbini-land

Stiff competition: A shopper at an unmanned cash register at a Lawson store in Tokyo. Lawson has slipped to third place among Japan’s convenience store chains. — Reuters

EVERYONE loves Japan’s ubiquitous convenience stores, known locally as conbini.

They’re the subject of tens of thousands of tourist TikToks and YouTube videos, with visitors gushing over their most quirky offerings.