Amarula Sushi

Those who have visited Japan will have noticed 7–11 stores on every corner. But have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in a Japanese convenience store?

I moved to Japan in 2019 as a student studying Japanese at Waseda University. Despite having a decade of project management experience in global corporates on my resume, I was curious about how it would feel to live in a foreign country alone, learn a new language, or simply be a student again. So, I quit my job, sold my car, packed my belongings, cleared out my apartment, and set off for Tokyo, Japan.

Upon arrival in Japan, my proficiency in Japanese was nearly nonexistent, at perhaps 0.01%. I could say “thank you” and “hello,” and that was about it.

Working in 7–11 or any other convenience store — or indeed any service-related job in Japan — requires proficiency in Keigo, which is the Japanese honorific form of speech. Even Japanese people find this challenging, so you can imagine the difficulty for a foreigner.

However, I was determined, and it was on my bucket list.

If not now, when?

I knew I wouldn’t have the opportunity to work part-time again, as my financial situation and visa status in Japan wouldn’t permit it anyway.

P.S. Student visas in Japan allow holders to work up to 28 hours a month, but this requires an application. The most common work visa in Japan — the international, humanities, and engineer visa — does not permit working in 7–11.

So how did I find the job?

This was in 2019, in the midst of Covid. Although Japan didn’t have strict regulations restricting movement back then, traveling on the trains would pose a risk to myself. Besides, the pay for 7–11 work isn’t exceptionally high, and I didn’t want my hourly wages going towards transportation costs. And I had classes to attend so I made sure it would have to be a 7‐11 within a 10-minute walking distance from my apartment

The beauty of Japan and its convenience stores is that there’s literally one on every block. I searched the 7–11 website for recruitment ads and looked for posters outside stores in my neighborhood. I applied in two ways:

• Applied online, if they were interested in me, they called me for an appointment
• Went in-store and dropped my resume.

The result?

I applied to a total of 12 stores in my neighborhood. Eleven rejected me; one hired me.

Some reasons for rejection:

• No prior convenient store working experience
• Limited ability of Keigo (Honorific Japanese)
• Just plainly, Japanese wasn’t good enough.

What does a 7‐11 staff do?

Literally, EVERYTHING.

Jokes aside, 7–11 staff duties include operating the cash register, stocktaking, ensuring product shelves are perfectly aligned (for those who have visited Japan, you’ll know how impeccably aligned the shelves are), cleaning the toilet, checking product freshness, memorizing cigarette numbers (customers often request cigarettes by number rather than by name), setting up seasonal products, cleaning the coffee dispensary machine, preparing fried food, heating customer’s purchase food and maintaining the stock count and freshness of the fried food, as well as the Oden during winter.

There was once, a customer was shouting from the back of the store, he wanted to use the toilet, Japanese people usually walk in and say “excuse me, I will borrow the toilet please” to the staff member, and staff members will usually reply: Douzo (Meaning please, sure go ahead). At the same time, there was a huge line for customers wanting to pay, and the coffee dispensary started beeping because it ran out of milk, and a customer was waiting for a latte.

How many staff are on one shift? Two.

The chaos! not to mention everything is in Japanese!

However shifts do vary, and also depending on the location of the store. The store I worked at was positioned in a neighborhood and close to a main road, alot of people came in to purchase food for their trip or just to grab a coffee.

and doing all that? How much do 7‐11 staff get paid?

This varies by store location, ranging from 900 to 1300 yen (approximately 6 to 8.5 USD per hour). The pay isn’t great, but a significant perk of working part-time at 7–11 is the flexibility; unless you significantly mess up and get fired, you can align your shifts with your schedule, which is what I did, working more on days I didn’t have classes.

How I felt?

After 11 rejections, devastated, of course. Having worked in corporate environments and held management positions, being turned down for a “simple” task like a convenience store part-time job was a blow. This is precisely why I always suggest people travel abroad for experiences; it humbles you and helps you recognize your strengths and weaknesses. After 11 rejections and a lot of walking, I felt broken. So, I went home and practiced speaking in Keigo, focusing on the most common phrases used. My hard work and persistence paid off, and I got hired.

I knew my Japanese wasn’t great; by then, I had been learning the language for 6 months, probably equivalent to a 2-year-old’s level of proficiency. I worked for about 6 months at 7–11 because my student visa was expiring, and to stay in Japan, I needed to find a full-time job to change my visa status. However, my experience at 7–11 significantly improved my Japanese, a fact I often credit in my job interviews, which landed me my first job in Japan as a PM at a consulting firm and also paving my career in Japan leading projects in corporate settings.

My colleagues were excellent. I became friends with Japanese colleagues who couldn’t speak English, and whenever I faced challenges from customers, my Japanese store supervisor and colleagues would come to my aid.

I have countless stories about the people I met at 7–11, which wouldn’t all fit in this article. Working in 7–11 is definitely A key highlight of my journey in Japan, offering me a profound insight into Japanese society, work ethics, and customer service standards, even in a convenience store setting (even in 7‐11 there was strict rules, and extreme high customer service requirements, uniform requirements and hair/nail requirements).

Many friends and former colleagues were surprised that I traveled across the globe and quit my corporate job to work in Japan, often jokingly referring to it as “frying chicken and cleaning toilets.” But the experience was invaluable, not only improving my Japanese but also helping me make lifelong friends. I still keep in touch with my colleagues and store supervisor, and the store’s owner still calls me by my full name whenever I visit.

This experience, despite its challenges, was one of the best and most memorable of my life, reminding myself the importance of following your own heart, regardless of others’ opinions. So is there something you want to try out but too afraid to?