Konbiniya Japan Centre

Kobiniya Japan Centre on Robson Street is a delightful spot for anyone interested in Japanese culture and cuisine. The store offers a wide variety of authentic Japanese snacks, groceries, and household items, making it a convenient place to find specialty products that are hard to come by elsewhere. The layout is well-organized, and the atmosphere is welcoming, making it easy to browse and discover new items. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, always ready to help with any questions or recommendations. Whether you’re stocking up on staples or exploring new flavors, Kobiniya Japan Centre is a great addition to the neighborhood, providing a little taste of Japan right in the heart of the city.

Konbiniya literally means convenience store in Japanese, which is an accurate description of this place - might be not as big but still offers a good selection of Japanese products to cater to most needs. You can buy ice cream from outside the store. There were two kiosks you could order from. For some reason, while we were using one, a teenage boy cut us off and claimed he was using the kiosks we were using. His claim was not true and his move was also completely unnecessary as there was another kiosk right next to him and further away from us. We guessed he was trying to impress his date. We had not been here for a long time, but ordering from the kiosk was something new to us. When we finished ordering, the teenage boy still could not figure out how to order from the kiosk and had to go to try the other kiosk. Eventually, he had to order from a staff. By the time, he got his ice cream, we almost finished ours. Our ice cream were great, but I did not enjoy the cone. The waffle cone was way better, though. Products were not too expensive.

I didn’t expect that I can purchase so many Japanese items at Konbiniya, so I was excited to shop there. They also have some discounted items such as ¢99 gummy and $2 snacks.

I like it. I purchased two onigiris. The atmosphere is like the international supermarket. All the items are labeled with Japanese characters. The staff willingly help to make the right choice.

Great selection of authentic Japanese snacks, condiments, and ready to eat food. Highly recommend!

Authentic Japanese supermarket packed with tons of Japanese products in the little space that it occupies. You can find products directly imported from Japan, those available at local Japanese-centric stores, and products you can find at other Asian groceries around town. If you just came back from a trip to Japan, this is a good store to check out for your cravings. You can find almost anything. Also, there is a little counter nearby selling ice cream and waffles. It can get very busy during the day and the aisles are pretty narrow.

This store is very good, you can find high quality products from Japan, as well as food, gelato and crepes. I definitely recommend it

I loveee this place!, they have so many things like make up, skin care and food, we like to buy jasmine tea, instant noodles and miso soup, the place is very well stocked, they also sell crepes, ice cream, sundae, mochi and have gachapone machines!, the staff is friendly and the prices are ok.

The store is a convenance store is just like all the shops in Vancouver, all JAMMED into one store but... Japanese

We always stop here every Vancouver trip. Makes you feel like you are back in Japan. Tasty Japanese snacks, some that you can't find easily at other Asian grocery stores. The soft serve station is the best, my favorite is the yuzu soft serve.

They have a huge selection of Japanese grocery products from snacks, to drinks, to sauces. They don't seem to have much fresh produce. They also have some knick-knacks behind the counter (toys and beauty products. In front, they also serve crepes and ice cream.

konbiniya japan centre on robson street offers a vibrant taste of tokyo's bustling convenience stores. as you enter, you're greeted by a cute automated voice in japanese, setting the tone with catchy music playing in the background. rows of gachapon machines line the aisles, adding a playful touch that mirrors the lively atmosphere of japanese konbinis. having visited japan myself, i found konbiniya japan centre to be a nostalgic haven. it's just like i am in tokyo again. the store is always bustling, packed with a diverse selection of snacks, sauces, and authentic ramen varieties that transport you back to the streets of tokyo. one of the highlights is their offering of boss coffee, a familiar sight from tokyo's ubiquitous vending machines, which adds to the store's authentic charm. they have onigiris available and so much more. outside, the bon crepe station and soft serve ice cream further enhance the experience, offering a taste of japanese street food delights. whether you're grabbing a quick snack or exploring their extensive range of japanese products, konbiniya japan centre captures the essence of japan's vibrant and convenient culinary culture right in the heart of vancouver.

My little glimpse of Japan. Went here three times during our three night stay in Vancouver. The onigiri are so good. Haven't been to Japan, but they compare to Hawaii, which is really tasty. Perfect for a snack or when on the go. Took it when visiting Capilano and now for our flight back to the states. They are made fresh and delivered at 10 am and 2 pm. They are gone by the end of the day so get yours quick. We happened to go during the weekend and weekday without an issue. I was so ecstatic to find dango and mochi ! So hard to find dango unless heading to the city. They have also other Japan goodies. Excited to visit the real deal in actual Japan, but this will do for now ! Make sure to stop by if in downtown Vancouver

I am actually surprised I have never ever reviewed this place, for as long as it has been here, and if you ever needed some type of Japanese snack this place always had something that would make you put your hand in your wallet and give them money. So what brought me on my most recent visit? Well it was Boxing Day, the day I probably shouldn't even be anywhere near Robson street, but there I was, wasting time, and the wife and I needed a quick bite, and yet we did not want to line up at any place for food due to limited time. Somehow I thought let's go here.. they got food... and yes they do, we ended up buying two onigiri from their fridge and they even had a microwave to use right next to it to heat up your food. I could have went with some special curry on rice, or a spam misubi, or some sushi in the fridge, many options, and also more snack/junk food, yet the onigiri looked about right, and fair priced to all the other options in the neighbourhood. If you are looking for something cheap, fast, fair, and Japanese, come on in here, also it's right on Robson, just be warned, if you like packaging and you look a little too long you are probably going to spend a lot more money here.

Located along Robson St. Seems like the only Japanese snack shop in the area. The store itself, snacks are very expensive. It gets very busy and packed. Inside the convivence store is also a crepe vendor. The review is mainly for the crepe dessert we got. Let me tell you the wait for a crepe dessert was soooo long! It wasn't really busy. Took 20 minutes to make. Jeez. Had the nutella banana crepe. It was sooo sweet. Make sure you have a sweet tooth to get the crepe dessert.

Nice little Japanese grocery store in downtown. We got some onigiris and Japanese snacks. The onigiris were similar to the ones we had in Tokyo.

Konbiniya is "konbini-ently" situated halfway down Robson, and is one of my favorite little shops along this storied street. For those from Oregon or Washington in the US, it's like a mini, corner store/bodega version of Uwajimaya, with more Japanese goodness crammed into its claustrophobic walls and shelves than seems possible, including all of my favorite snacks and beverages from across the Pacific. You'll find just about any staples of Japanese cuisine for sale here: rice, sauces, seasonings...you name it. There's also a significant selection of health and beauty products. I love this place, and I wish there was one on every street...or at least *my* street.

The cutest little shop!! Cashier was super friendly. Love that it's open late -- 11pm on weekdays and 12am on weekends I believe -- so great for late-night snacking. Storefront is very small so can get really crowded, especially from 6-8pm. I genuinely appreciate the assortment of Japanese snacks, toiletries, and cosmetics. Has every kind of chip, chocolate, or candy you could want, though I wish they carried more ready-to-eat hot items, like onigiri, pudding, yogurt, sushi, etc. I also wish they carried more beauty items but I can't really complain given how small the store is. Compared to other Asian stores and even online retailers like Wee or Yamibuy, I've noticed their prices for snacks and candy are about equal or slightly cheaper. For other things like toiletries, cosmetics, noodles, sauces, seaweeds, other kitchen ingredients, instant noodles, ready-to-eat items, etc. their prices are higher than average. Recommended to go before 5pm or after 9pm. Made the mistake once of going at 6pm and it was so packed it was difficult to move through the aisles.

What a little gem on Robson St! Love stopping by for snacks, chips, candies and drinks. A lot of authentic goodies, though they can get expensive. I like stopping by for their desserts too! You can order at Bon Crepe inside at the cash register or at their window. The soft serve ice cream is $3.99. I got the matcha twist with vanilla. The matcha flavor was very good. The seasonal ice cream flavor when I went was yuzu.

It's been years since I have been to Japan and stopping by this little center gave me quite vivid flashbacks. So much snacks and food items that are straight from Japan. The prices are a bit higher than I would have liked, but i would definitely come back!

The aisles are very narrow. I had crouched down to look at a product on the bottom shelf. Suddenly, two employees came around the corner and rushed towards me so I had to stand to make way for them to pass. They did not apologized or excused themselves. This happened again minutes later. They could have hit us if we did not move away. They should say 'excuse me' when they passed customers closely especially when they were training a new employee. It is clear that they do not value customers.

3.5 stars Not the most convenient if you had a car, parking is difficult on this block. As it's name suggested they are a mini market. Interesting items, ice cream/dessert bars, Japanese cosmetics, rice balls They carry the usual, sauce mixes, noodles, etc... It's not really a destination if you have a go to asian store near you.

do not get the sakura mochi (it is so bad. so bad.) DO get the matcha warabi mochi - i picked it up on a whim and it was perhaps the best thing I've eaten in the past year, and I'm frankly kind of a snob about food, so this is saying something. do yourself a favor. get the warabi mochi. get as many as you see in the fridge. you (and your friends, if you're really generous) will thank me, i promise

Love the assortment and have been ordering delivery for a while now. I have to say, the service is incredible and the gentleman that delivers our order is always so courteous and grateful. I have occasionally added tips but even if I don't, the service is very consistent. I have gone to the actual store too and it really does remind me of being in Japan. If you're in the mood for Japanese snacks and food items, this is your destination

A place we stop by often when we are in Vancouver, their crepes and desserts are always great!! Great konbini to get a variety of things from, well worth your time!

I've been here a couple of times. The first time I came, I enjoyed the green tea parfait. They also have soft serve and crepes. There is a variety of Japanese snacks, some that come with a premium price tag. They also have onigiri if you want to grab a quick snack.

Mocha bun and pudding parfait Bun was average. Nothing special. Pudding parfait was a delicious treat! Not only is it pretty to look t but it tastes great too. The crunch of the flakes paired with the smooth soft serve and sweet pudding is to die for! There's no need for the wafer and pocky but I'm not complaining! I shared mine but I definitely could have had one all to myself. Highly recommend!

When we can't go to Japan, we like to visit for some nostalgia vibes. You can find everything Japanese at affordable prices. My partner and I decided to have a Japanese cuisine night and we found everything we needed. We bought corn croquettes, 8 pcs for $6.80, we also got takoyaki, the toppings and ingredients for udon. Spent about $40 for everything. Totally worth it because you'll end up spending a lot more at other Japanese stores. Or just go there for their crepes and ice cream because they are so yummy the matcha soft serve is on point! it tastes similar to the soft serve we had in Asakusa back in Japan.

I was really excited to try their crepes because it said they use the Japanese mochi mochi recipe. I'm a fan of mochi, crepes and matcha so I guess I had some high expectations that left me disappointed. First off, don't expect a traditional French crepe that you get cooked at those stalls in front of you and it comes out crispy and warm. It does get cooked in front of you but this batter is different, it isn't crispy at all it's still really soft. But the weirdest part to me was that even though I watched it cooked in front of my eyes, it wasn't warm at all. I don't know why but it was so odd to me. Also the texture of the crepe I didn't hate, but also wasn't a fan of because I wish it had a chewier mochi type of texture. The crepe also had almost no flavor and it had so sweetness to it. I had chosen the matcha and red bean crepe. So it came with matcha ice cream and red bean filling. Since the crepe had no sweetness to it, overall it seemed unbalanced because the matcha ice cream also wasn't that sweet so it was only the red bean bringing sweetness to it. Maybe a different crepe would have ended up tasting a lot better like one with nutella because then it wouldn't seem so unbalanced. But if you don't like sweet things then I'd recommend this.

4 stars banan crepe. Chewy soft moist crepe just like I had in Tokyo japan 3.5 stars Azuki green tea soft serve $4.75 Soft serve matcha was good but no y rich enough for me. The one that tsujiya is better ( more expensive.) regular soft serve is $3.89. adding $1 for azuki and whipped cream. they gave very little azuki.

Such a fun and interesting convenience store. I had the yuzu soft serve which was tasty, well made. I would go back for the crepes or for the vanilla, I'm not a big matcha fan. Very nice staff too.

I used to come here all the time like 20 years ago. Back in the day when I first started training mma before it all went mainstream I used to rent mma/kickboxing tapes here. Yes! tapes...I believe they were vhs! haha! They were upstairs, Well I haven't been here for a long time now but was in the search of matcha soft serve and found out they served it here. I didn't go inside cuz they had a takeout window and all I wanted was the ice cream. I had a cup of the matcha swirl, with tax it come to 4 bucks. It was pretty good. It's always been a cool Japanese when I used to come here for the tapes, now I guess I'll be back for the matcha!

Amazing Japanese store in Vancouver on Robson Street. Has convenience store foods like onigiri but also foods you can order like takoyaki made on the spot. Has Japanese cosmetics and drinks, all at reasonable prices.

Super cute Japanese market. Has what you need making any Japanese meal. We were looking forward to having Onigiri but the time we got there they were sold out. We also didnt try the icecream because we were full from the milk tea. I ended up getting something from the Gashapon machine. I couldnt resist. We were able to find le beau's favorite candy, kinako choco mochi, and we bought whatever was left. It was a small market. I wouldn't call it a centre since it was mainly grocery items.

A small Japanese supermarket for all kinds of Japanese sauces and ingredients to satisfy your Japanese inspired dishes. Yes, there have sauces and Ingredients that you can't find at your local groceries stores. Sometimes you might end up snatching up some really good deals! We found a giant bottle of okonomiyaki sauce (last bottle) on sale. And yes, we bought it. Not quite sure if that was a very good decision at that time since we have to carry the 1L bottle of sauce walking around downtown all day. We were really only looking for the Japanese mustard but ended up with something much larger than we originally planned. Also, they have a wide variety of miso selection to pick from. It's a definite hidden gem.

Japanese grocery stores got desserts! It is worth to try since they're not that expensive. They're not superb and super tasty, but they're worth to try. There are so many flavours too, so I am willing to go back to try their other flavours!

Japanese convenience store with a Bon Crepe window attached selling crepes and ice cream. The main counter for the Bon Crepe is outside but I believe if you're in the store you can also order at the register there. The store has a nice variety of Japanese snacks including packaged stuff (candy, chips, soft drinks, etc.) as well as fresh items. I really like the pudding cups, the onigiri isn't mind-blowing but it's still good, and I appreciate the variety of fillings they have on hand. Pudding and onigiri each cost a little under $3, I think most single size soft drinks are the same. Honestly for the stuff that I've bought here I don't think the price is too bad, especially since a few of these things are hard to find in a grocery/convenience store setting. At the Bon Crepe, I've tried the Azuki cup which is matcha soft serve with a few dollops of azuki paste and whipped cream. This one is a pretty good deal to me since it's basically a simplified version of the elaborate parfaits that you can get at the big matcha chains, about half the price, and also manageable for one person to eat and not feel stuffed after. I think they also have a more elaborate parfait available here. I like their matcha soft serve - the matcha taste is very present, and although not the strongest it's definitely passable. Even if you don't have anything in particular you're looking for, the store is an interesting place to visit just to walk around and check out the aesthetic, which is pretty true to a convenience store in Japan.

A little piece of Japan in the heart of downtown Vancouver. I love this grocery/cafe/convenient store. Located in busy Robson Street. They carry a lot of Japanese treats, food, drinks so on. I love the matcha ice and desserts located right in front , a must try!!!!

Super cute market, but a little overpriced. I came here mostly to see the cute decor on the outside of the shop. When I picture a Japan Center, I typically think of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles or the Japantown Mall in San Francisco. This was more of a mini mart and small ice cream shop attached. It was still cute and fun to walk through. I didn't end up buying anything because the Japanese snacks were a bit overpriced, even in CAD. We were able to get some cute photos & were on our way after. There was tons of other things to do in downtown but were happy we stopped by.

Neat little shop! Unfortunately we were visiting for the states so couldn't buy all the fun stuff we wanted. It has a take-out window outside for crepes and ice cream.

Best matcha soft serve icecream!! I go there literally every time I'm on Robson. The little icecream/crepe shop is just nested in the store and you can order from inside or outside. (Didn't know about inside till maybe the 3rd visit lol) Outside is great for a quick order since the inside is quite small and can be difficult to navigate through especially if you've been shopping down Robson on the way there and have a million bags like me haha but there are 2 tables inside to sit at if you do plan to stay. My favourite is actually their matcha icecream crepe since I've never been able to find that anywhere else. So delicious!

Some of my friends wanted to check out the japanese market and this soft serve place. We walked through the asian shop and bought some snacks. While paying, you're able to pay for your soft serve as well and pick up at a different window so thats what I did. The market is super small and was quite pricey as well. Inside the market is a small soft serve shop that sells soft serves and crepes. I got the matcha soft serve and it was super bitter. I didn't really enjoy the bitterness and was overwhelmed with how strong the matcha flavor was. I didn't taste much milk so it wasn't as creamy. The soft serve was quite pricey too.

I never really remember the name of this place. I call it the Pocky store. Yup its the store that sells a lot of Japanese Pocky. Came in for a treat instead of getting real food. They have discount once in awhile and on different items. So I picked up a bag of honey butter flavored chips and Matcha Pocky. This store is basically a Japanese goodie store.

A Japanese grocery store with a cute little dessert shop operating out of the side window of the shop. Their crepes and matcha soft serve are great value for its price. $5 gets you a nice cup of matcha soft serve, which would be much more expensive at specialty shops in the area. The soft serve was on medium creamy on the matcha soft serve spectrum. I've had soft serve with much more matcha flavor (for example Nana's Green Tea), and I've also had soft serves that tasted like vanilla with some matcha powder. This comes very in between, which is perfectly fine for its price. It comes with a small scoop o red bean paste and a dollop of whipped cream!

Craving some Japanese food? This is the place to go to get snacks, candy, dessert, and various cooking ingredients. I enjoy coming here to grab some onigiri and a matcha soft serve when it's good weather. You get a deal when you buy two onigiri (2 for $4). The matcha soft serve is a must; it's easy to eat and full of that matcha goodness. Another thing to look out for is the close-to/past best before date section at the back of the store. If you don't mind the suggested date, you'll get away with some good bargains on snacks and goodies.

Cute little Japanese convenient store just like the ones they have in Japan! This place is a Japanese snack galore with its large selection of different flavored pockys and matcha flavored cookies, chocolates, and more. I was surprised to see that they carry Yatsuhashi mochis (triangle shaped mochis) as I've never seen that anywhere else besides Japan. They also have mozuku (a type of okinawan seaweed) in sweet vinegar broth and a good selection of onigiris. Unfortunately I wasn't super impressed with their bento/pre made food selection. I was also surprised to see them carry prepackaged meat in a freezer as that is not typical for konbinis. We got the matcha soft serve that they sell outside the store (cash only!) and it was delicious! I liked how it wasn't overly sweet and has a bitter aftertaste just like when you drink matcha. It wasn't super creamy either, so good as a light snack to recharge after shopping. We really enjoyed our salmon onigiri as well. There was a good amount of salmon flakes and the rice was decent. Overall, great place for authentic Japanese snacks. Would love to return to try the matcha parfait!

Loooove this place for the ONIGIRI "rice triangle" filled with goodies, my fave is the tuna mayo! Not only do they serve parfait, soft serve and sweet crepes, they even have savoury crepes...ham & hard boiled egg crepe for $6 all in!!! Yummmmm. Sooooo happy that this place is still in existence!!!

I'm a lover of green tea and I came here for the sole purpose of the green tea items that they had on their menu! You can order inside or outside of this little Japanese market. A lot of people didn't know it was cash only so definitely bring cash if you intend to order here! I got the green tea soft serve at first, but was tempted when I saw the green tea parfait. I couldn't resist and ordered both items! I did not regret it one bit, it was so good! I definitely did prefer the green tea parfait because it had lots of elements to it and you get the green tea soft serve/ ice cream! Next time when i'm in Canada again, I'll definitely try the crepes :D

The roommate and I just bumped into Konbiniya while walking up and down Robson on Saturday, January 16th. I love Japanese stores so we decided to see if they had items we couldn't get in the US. I have a fondness for snacks and the roommate, curry, so we walked out with a bunch of items. *Hello kitty akai bohshi: Green tea roll ($13.99) *Hello kitty akai bohshi: Strawberry heart, Brandy ball, Almond soft cookie ($13.99) *Lotte koala's march: Matcha ($5.39 family pack) *Lotte koala's march: Strawberry creme filled cookies ($1.99) *Lotte toppo: Matcha latte ($2.99) *Juku curry amaku ($2.99) *Glico premium curry ($2.99) *Glico lee x20 curry ($3.50) So many cute things! The box of hello kitty items said only avail in Japan, so I decided to snag a couple. Since they're Sanrio, they gave me some gift bags. I didn't really need them, but it was a nice gesture. Can't wait to go home and try everything. Especially the ×20 curry. Not sure how hot that is, but I'm guessing it'll have a nice heat. They also had seem to serve crepes and ice cream, but I was so full, I couldn't have one. Maybe the next time I'm in Vancouver. So glad I ran to this store! If you're looking for a place to get some Japanese treats, look no further than Konbiniya!

I've been to Konbiniya a couple of times when in Vancouver. I love coming in here to see all of the Japanese items that don't make it to Seattle. The employees are sweet and helpful when trying to find anything. The candy aisle is a treasure trove of unique things. Love all the variety of Kit Kats! All have a ton of Pocky. The rest of the store is regular, traditional Japanese foods. They have a travel shop set up in the far left corner.

Love this place! Perfect little taste of home in BC, so happy that something like this exists. Great place to get matcha soft serve and some snacks. Perfect for Japanese groceries and authentic foods and sauce

Pretty authentic matcha green tea ice cream - as a soft serve!! They also have gigantic parfaits (sundaes) with some other matcha green tea flavored snacks stuck into the ice cream. Looks like good photo ops! This is from the little window outside the store (there is a plastic soft serve statue outside beneath the large picky sign, you can't miss it). From what I remember, they have a section dedicated to just matcha green tea flavored chocolates and other snacks inside the store. Great place to pick up popular Japanese candies!

Fun little Japanese convenient store where you can also order ice cream and crepes! We saw variety of items from snacks to your day to day grocery. Def worth a visit if you are in the area!

TL;DR - Get a crepe. Any crepe. For $6.50 (not including tip), the green tea ice cream crepe with azuki paste is AMAZING. The green tea ice cream is not as sweet as the cheap ones you get as desserts at *certain* sushi places -- you can almost see the matcha flavour in the dark green scoops. They don't skimp on the azuki paste either. I thought there was a lot of paste with the green tea ice cream in the middle of the crepe, but (surprise!) there were quite a few large dollops of azuki paste and whipped cream spaced evenly through the rolled part of the crepe. The crepe itself is slightly elastic and chewy. I didn't mind that it was a little plain, since the rolled azuki paste and whipped cream provided more than enough flavour to keep it interesting. It also didn't get soggy/soaked with melted ice cream at the very end, so that's a definite plus. Overall, definitely worth it for the price! If I could have dessert for lunch, this would be one of my top choices.

Visited this supermarket when I was visited Vancouver. The supermarket was right across from my hotel. This supermarket reminded me a bit like Japan's convenience store. It was fun to visit this market and I enjoyed roaming going through every single aisle. There were a lot of imported Japanese goods such as green tea snacks, instant noodles, home goods, cosmetics, etc. There was also onigiris, salads and rice bowls. Outside they sold soft serves (either matcha/vanilla, or a parfait) and crepes. I bought some random snacks and a matcha soft serve. The matcha soft serve was delicious!

Such a cute Japanese market in downtown Vancouver! My boyfriend and I got onigiri for a snack after spending the afternoon walking around the city. There were a lot of options and I liked how they have ume and kelp kombu filling, I've never seen it before and it's a combination of my two favorite fillings ! I also got matcha powder to bring back home with me. There are so many goods sold here you are sure to find what you are looking for. The people working at the register, however, are not very friendly.

I like this store. It packs a lot of Japanese goodies for such a small place. They have Japanese candies, snacks, drinks.......AND Pocari Sweat. The most refreshing drink in Japan.