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Take in Tokyo’s bustling Shibuya crossing. Visit Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion temple. Marvel at Mt. Fuji. Eat a plastic-wrapped sandwich from 7-Eleven.

Of all the varied and delightful cultural experiences for tourists in Japan, you might not think consuming an egg salad sandwich sold at a chain belongs on the list. But Japan’s ubiquitous convenience store sandwiches have a cult-like following, and its 7-Eleven stores are described as a national treasure.

There are travel blogs and guides dedicated solely to them. Tourists post in forums asking how to get one through Canadian customs, or where to find dupes back in Toronto. Users post TikToks where they boast about flying thousands of kilometres just to get their hands on one.

Even U.S. celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain once described the 7-Eleven sandwiches as “pillows of love” in an episode of Parts Unknown.

A screenshot of an Instagram post by Australian TV personality Symon Lovett from 2024 shows off the 7-Eleven egg salad sandwich. (@symonlovett/Instagram)

And now, 7-Eleven is bringing its famous egg salad to U.S. stores, announcing Wednesday that its Japanese-style tamago sando has landed, complete with “pillowy milk bread and creamy egg salad made with Kewpie mayonnaise.”

“Put the passport away bb. 7-Eleven’s Egg Salad Sando has officially arrived in the U.S.,” the company posted to its 1.1 million followers on Instagram Wednesday.

As American fans celebrate, it looks like Canadians will have to do without — at least for now. When reached by CBC News about whether the sandwich would be sold in Canadian stores, a spokesperson for 7-Eleven could only confirm the sandwich’s launch nationwide in the U.S.

7-Eleven introduced its ‘Japanese-style’ egg salad sandwich to U.S. stores on Wednesday. (7-Eleven Inc.)

Konbini culture

7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the United States and Canada. More than 550 of those stores are located in Canada, from B.C. to Ontario, according to the company’s website.

It’s headquartered in Texas but owned by Tokyo’s Seven & I Holdings. There are approximately 21,000 locations in Japan, according to Reuters.

As Reuters points out, Seven & i Holdings turned the humble 7-Eleven into a popular food destination in Japan by serving up fresh sandwiches, rice balls and rows of boxed lunches, changing how millions of people eat.

In Japan, convenience stores, or konbini, have become an essential part of everyday life, where people pay bills, send packages and pick up concert tickets. According to tourism website japan-guide.com, there are more than 50,000 konbini across the country. The major operators are 7-Eleven, Lawson and Family Mart.

Across all three chains, food has been their main driver of growth. Stores get multiple daily deliveries of sandwiches, onigiri and pre-cooked meals aimed at consumers too busy to cook.

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The Current9:05Why 7-11 is a national treasure in Japan. (Yes, that 7-11)

7-11 is a national institution in Japan, offering customers everything from great food to a way to pay bills and send money. But now a takeover bid from a Canadian conglomerate has some worried that these unique Japanese stores and the culture surrounding them could change.

‘Cheaper than Canadian grocery stores’

“The freshness and quality of convenience food in Japan is next level,” Robert Kirkwood, 44, of Calgary, told CBC News. He travels to Japan for work about four times per year, and says he’s a regular konbini customer.

“It’s good food, easy to get, cheaper than Canadian grocery stores and I love it.”

The company is now on a mission to bring some of its most popular food items to the U.S.

Last year, Seven & i said it is introducing more than 200 food items in its U.S. stores — some of them distinctly Japanese — a strategy that was enthusiastically received by fans on social media and food-related websites, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile tourists have taken note. On the Japanese Food subreddit, locals say that they can’t find any sandwiches because travellers snatch them up.

“To the people of Japan, I sincerely apologize for the 318 egg salad sandwiches I bought each day while visiting your marvelous country,” someone commented.

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Where Canadians are travelling instead of the U.S.

New data suggests Canadians are packing their bags for destinations other than the U.S., with Buenos Aires, Osaka, Japan, and Copenhagen all seeing 100 per cent increase in spending by Canadian visitors.

Does the U.S. sandwich compare?

It’s worth noting that 7-Eleven describes the U.S. version as “Japanese-style,” and says it’s “inspired by” the viral sensation sold in Japan.

But some fans are skeptical that the U.S. sandwich will be anywhere near as good. And others have pointed out how the American version differs from the original, such as not cutting the crusts off, and the egg-to-bread ratio being off.

“Just because you slap a ‘Japan’ sticker on it doesn’t make it a JDM tamago sando. Use the proper shokupan and Kewpie … and cut the crust on off. If you’re not gonna do it right, don’t even bother,” someone commented on 7-Eleven’s Instagram announcement.

New York-based food influencer Jeremy Jacobowitz wrote on Instagram Friday that “the headlines are lying to you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t applaud the attempt.”

When he tries the U.S. version in the video he posted, he says the bread is nice and fluffy, but it’s still not the same.

“This won’t give you the exact thing you can get there,” he said. “But I think it’s pretty good.”

Here in Canada, likely a lot of people would be happy if the chain brought the sandwich over — some 580,000 Canadian visitors travelled to Japan in 2024, according to Global Affairs.

That said, Kirkwood, of Calgary, isn’t a big egg salad fan, and says he’s never eaten it in any country. But he does wish Canadian convenience stores would bring in the Japanese famichiki, a boneless fried chicken sold at Family Mart.

“It’s the best.”

Robert Kirkwood of Calgary holds a famichiki, a boneless fried chicken sold at Japanese convenience store Family Mart. (Submitted by Robert Kirkwood)

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