First FamilyMart store in Malaysia - Wisma Lim Foo Yong, Kuala Lumpur

Finally FamilyMart opened its first store in Malaysia. Located in Wisma Lim Foo Yong at Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur. From my observation, FamilyMart does offers something more on top of existing convenience store chains that we have in Malaysia. With new player in place, it does provide more choices for the consumers and raise the standard of our convenience stores. In overseas, FamilyMart does provide many facilities to their customers such as toilet, free wifi, eating place, oden, bill payment, photocopy service, electronic payment options and even send parcel. The first FamilyMart in Malaysia does have those facilities but still need improvement. Since FamilyMart is new here, do expect to queue to get your stuff. Lets take a look on how does our first FamilyMart perform.


First FamilyMart in Malaysia. Distinctive green, blue and white signboard. Lack of welcome music when enter the store.

Located within the compound of Wisma Lim Foo Yong office building.

50% off green tea/French vanilla ice cream.

Wide selection of onigiri and bento sets. Good for quick lunch or dinner.

Onigiri selection is quite limited. Mostly chicken mayo flavour.

Bento set of nasi lemak, fried rice and biryani.

Imported ice-cream from Japan and Korea.

Ice-cream price at MYR6.90 each.

Wide selection of bakery products.

Long queue since the shop is still new. Many people queue for their oden including me.

Many would like to try their oden. This is first time that oden offered in convenience store. Its popular in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Customer can choose either dashi broth or tom yam.

5 reasons why Japan convenience stores are so great

When you go to Japan, you can find convenience stores almost everywhere. These convenience stores are known as konbini. The strong competition between 3 major convenience store players (7-Eleven, Lawson and Family Mart) in Japan have created innovative products and services which makes Japanese convenience stores very convenient and reasonable price. These convenience stores opens 24 hours a day.

1. Premium unique flavour ice cream
When comes to ice-cream and confectionary, Japan have many amazing and unique flavours.

Haagen Dazs premium ice cream with variety of flavours which can't be found in other countries.


For example special flavour of Japonais. Thick strawberry sauce with chocolate chips ice-cream.

Adult magazines in Japan convenience stores

One of the reason on why the Japanese stores were so interesting is the availability of porn magazines and hentai on the magazine section of the stores (7-Eleven, Lawson & Family Mart). The public display of these magazine will just blow you away. You might think that such material should be hidden or sell at separate adult stores but in Japan, such material are sold openly.


Crazy selection of porn magazine. Pornography is not illegal in Japan. Only child pornography is illegal. These magazine is not just the magazine but it comes with DVD showing the full action!

The porn magazine just beside the normal magazine section. This part is available at almost all convenience stores in Japan. How amazing is that. Recently, Japan have a regulation of sealing the porn magazine which was not done before this.

Banana Milk from Seoul, Korea

Banana milk is somehow very popular in Korea. I don't know why but I can see that most convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, GS25 and FamilyMart are selling them and I saw many Korean drinking it. The Korean like it so much. I decided to buy a bottle to try out but I don't quite like the taste. As what it claimed, it is sweet with banana milk taste. Maybe the popularity of the banana milk is assisted by the promotion by the local famous artist such as Lee Min-ho and Girl's Generation.


Famous Binggrae banana flavoured milk. Created in 1974.

Shikhye drink from Korea

Sikhye (also spelled shikhye or shikeh) is a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage, usually served as a dessert. In addition to its liquid ingredients, sikhye contains grains of cooked rice. It is made by pouring malt water onto cooked rice. The malt water steeps in the rice at typically 150 degrees Fahrenheit until grains of rice appear on the surface. The liquid is then carefully poured out, leaving the rougher parts, and boiled with sugar. Shikhye is also known to help digestion and contain high amount of fibre. The drink taste good and with mild sweetness.


Great to reduce thirst. This Shikhye is produced by Korea Yakult. You can get this from any convenience store in Seoul.