American travelers continue to flock to Europe for summer vacation, but as considerations like global warming and the strength of the dollar come into play, many are choosing to visit Japan this summer. Home to favorites like anime, Pokemon, Super Mario, and Hello Kitty (Happy 50th birthday!) familiarity with Japanese cultural exports has grown exponentially and along with it, American tastes have evolved.
7-Eleven Eyes Sushi and Bentos in the U.S. for Food-to-Go
With increasing globalization, best practices can be shared across oceans. In the case of 7-Eleven, owned by Seven & I Holdings, they are looking towards the towering success of their Japanese stores to replicate that magic in the US. According to the Wall Street Journal, 7-Eleven in the U.S. has been historically more reliant on gas and tobacco to drive sales, with convenience store offerings adjacent. In Asia however, with practically a 7-Eleven on every corner, the merchandise skews more heavily towards food, particularly in the hot or refrigerated sections, compared to America. While you might think of coffee, Slurpees, hot dogs, and pizza in the US, in Japan you can get a vast assortment of prepared foods, such as pickled ume onigiri, chicken karaage, or tonkotsu ramen but also tea sandwiches like egg salad or more robust breaded pork cutlet sandwiches. 7-Eleven Japan excels at providing onigiri that manage to still have a crisp nori wrapper and rice that doesn’t get hard even when refrigerated. There is a specific procedure to unwrapping the onigiri from its packaging, as the nori and rice are kept separate, and the resulting DIY rice ball maintains its ideal texture.
Looking at Placer data for 7-Eleven nationwide as well as some of the top states that have the most 7-Eleven stores, with the exception of a dip in January 2024, year-over-year traffic has been positive from February through June of this year.
California is the state with the most 7-Eleven stores in the nation, followed by Florida and Texas.
When we examine results from Spatial.ai’s PersonaLive, we see that in California, top segments include Near-Urban Diverse Families, Melting Pot Families, Educated Urbanites, and Young Urban Singles - all segments that likely are open to more ethnic cuisines and that would also appreciate ready-to eat meals and snacks. In Texas, we see a preponderance of Melting Pot Families, Young Urban Singles, Upper Suburban Diverse Families, and Blue Collar Suburbs. Florida visits are driven by Young Urban Singles, Budget Boomers, and Blue Collar Suburbs.
As American tastes continue to evolve, food like sushi which may have been considered exotic a few decades ago have become increasingly mainstream. In fact, Kroger is now the biggest seller of sushi in the U.S. and sushi sales at US retailers were up 72% from 2019-2023. Sushi is quick and portable, and is a balanced source of protein and carbs. Sushi-adjacent foods like gyoza, edamame, or seaweed salad can also provide a nice complement to the main meal.
Yama Sushi Sake & Attitude in Los Angeles is a great example of what might be in store were 7-Eleven to reproduce some of its Japanese specialties in America. This family-run convenience store specializes in to-go sushi, sliced-to-order sashimi and chirashi, and delicious chicken katsu with a savory sesame-infused mayo.
With the refrigerated section offering everything from salmon/yellowtail/tuna nigiri assortments to tekka maki and cucumber rolls, it’s easy to pick up dinner, Japanese groceries, and choose from an extensive sake selection. Since opening in late summer 2022, this store has become a beloved neighborhood gem.
Business is quite steady starting right before the lunch hour, throughout the afternoon, and into the dinner hours.
The ethnicity of those who live in the trade area is also quite diverse, with roughly half being White, nearly 20% Hispanic, and nearly 20% Asian.
Japan's Northernmost Island Hokkaido: Lavender Soft Serve, Anyone?
Lavender is 2024’s new food trend, but for those from Hokkaido, this plant has always been in style. With its vast fields of lavender and all sorts of products made from the essential oil, such as colognes, mists, potpourri, and more, one of the more unique products is lavender soft serve. Hokkaido is Japan’s dairy capital, so it’s no surprise that products such as ice cream, milk, and cheese abound. We’ve previously written about the artisanal ice cream craze, and ice cream’s sibling soft serve with its lower milkfat and higher air ratio, is unbelievably Instagrammable with its swirls, color options, and perfect setting for sprinkles.
One can already purchase Hokkaido soft serve stateside at places like BAKE cheese tart.Indigo Cow is another option in the Seattle area. We examined some chains in the US that currently offer soft serve, and compared to last year, it’s clear that this is one trend that shows no signs of melting.
And if turns out that lavender doesn’t float your boat, how about an unbelievably cerulean blue soft serve? Inspired by the famous Aoi Ike Blue Pond, this delectable treat is another one that will get lots of likes on social media. Don’t be surprised if we start seeing rainbow-hued soft serve pop up all over the place in the U.S.
It's Sho-time: The Shohei Ohtani effect on Dodger Stadium
With comparisons to the likes of Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods, is Shohei Ohtani also going to go down in history as one of the GOATs? Experts debate whether he’s a better hitter or pitcher, throngs of visitors are coming from Japan - even in the face of a weak yen - just to see their idol, and Dodger fans are excited beyond belief. With the prospect of a championship on the horizon, his move from the Angels to the Dodgers fueled a fan frenzy. The Ohtani effect is spilling over to all aspects of the LA economy, such as an increase in advertisers at Dodger Stadium, which per Stan Kasten, president and CEO of the Dodgers has been selling out such that sponsors now want to be in stadiums where the Dodgers are playing away games.
Since Ohtani’s signing with the Dodgers, we see some big numbers for home games, such as against the Nationals on April 16 or versus the Angels on June 21 and June 22. Another popular night on July 2 was the Dodgers’ Japanese heritage night, presented by Daiso, which included a limited-edition jersey, taiko performance, DJ, and more.
A huge mural of Shohei named “LA Rising” stands on the side of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo, unveiled on March 28 of this year. The creator of the mural, Robert Vargas wanted to pay homage to the crossroads of LA’s Asian-American and Latino-American community. At Dodger Stadium, one can see more evidence of this cross-cultural fusion in the flavors of takoyaki served. Traditionally, this battered treat features octopus, but the Dodger version can come with guacamole or salsa and cheese. Coincidence that year-over-year change in monthly visits to Miyako Hotel spiked in April? Perhaps not. Between a new mural to ooh and ahh over, this timing also coincides with the start of baseball’s spring season and eager tourists.
In fact, 2024 is actually a special US-Japan tourism year, where both countries have been cross-promoting travel to Japan or to the US from either country, with an opportunity for Americans to win a free trip to Japan. One of the sponsors is Lucasfilm, and if a flight attendant happens to come down the aisle carrying a big green Yoda, it may well be because you are traveling on a Star Wars themed airplane!
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