Japan Trip Part VIII: Convenience Stores

7-Eleven stores have always kind of confused me. I simply could not imagine how a convenience store could survive without fuel stations attached. Obviously people go to these places, but why? They're like grocery stores, but more expensive and with far less variety, especially if you want something fresh. What's so convenient about that?

Japan is the largest market for 7-Eleven, having nearly twice as many stores in that tiny country than in all of the United States. As it turns out, convenience store means something a little different in Japan than it does here.