The mystery of Port Store, the Japanese convenience store that looks like a Lawson rip-off

What looks like an anime convenience store is actually a heartwarming way to serve the local community.

All the big-name convenience stores in Japan have instantly recognisable features that can easily be identified from a distance, and for Lawson , that means blue, white and pink stripes , and a distinctive milk can logo .

Well, we thought that was the case until our reporter Mr Sato stumbled upon this store in Aomi , just a stone’s throw from Tokyo’s famous Odaiba district. ▼ From a distance, this looks like a regular Lawson. ▼ But as you get closer… ▼ … you realise it’s something different.

The store looks identical to a Lawson – so much so that if you’re not paying attention you might even walk through its doors thinking as such, but look closely and you’ll see the words “ Port Store ” on the sign instead of Lawson. ▼ Even the milk can logo has “Port Store” branding.

A sight like this is enough to make you think you’ve stepped out of reality and into a parallel universe , because convenience stores are notoriously protective of their trademarks, and would never let a store like this rip off their branding in the real world. ▼ Yet here it is, existing like something out of an anime or video game, with everything telling you it’s a Lawson, except for the name.

Sensing he may have found a glitch in the system, Mr Sato walked towards the Port Store and stepped through its automatic doors.

Looking around, his brain short-circuited again, as he saw that the selections on offer were more or less the same as what you’d find at a regular Lawson .

However, there were some products that appeared to be unique to this location, including work gloves , socks and towels , and work shoes and helmets .

Stopping for a moment, Mr Sato whipped out his phone and ran a search online to find out exactly what he had walked into, and that’s when he learned that the store is operated by the Tokyo Port Welfare Association in partnership with Lawson .

The association is a non-profit that runs shops and other services for people working in Tokyo’s port areas , and by partnering with convenience stores like Lawson and Family Mart it was able to expand, providing port workers with easier access to essential work gear and leading to the “Port Store” branded convenience stores seen in some port areas today.

Being able to buy items normally sold at workwear stores is convenient for people who work in these areas, especially when these stores are open 24 hours.

For Mr Sato, though, the store had three things that lured him into opening his wallet – a waffle cone milk ice cream , cheap cheese crackers , and a Toraichi towel .

Toraichi is a Japanese workwear brand, particularly well known among manual labourers, and something you normally wouldn’t find at a convenience store.