Rico's Supermarket — Supermarket in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo

Rico's Supermarket sits on Hyakunincho in Shin-Okubo, a branch of a small urban-format chain, and the first thing you notice is the scale: it is closer to a convenience store in size than to a full grocery, with shelves packed rather than spread out.

The prepared foods and bento boxes are what to buy. They are well stocked through the day and hold up as a real meal rather than a stopgap, which is why they beat a konbini run for the same money. On the way out, look for the fresh cola, a drink the big convenience chains do not carry.

How it works is simple: you walk the aisles, pick from the chilled prepared-food section, and pay at the register. There is no counter to order at and no seating, so it is a buy-and-go shop. The range is small but covers the convenience-store basics you would want, with the bento and prepared dishes as the draw.

A basket lands in the ¥1,000–3,000 range, and the prepared meals are where the value sits against a convenience store. The one thing to plan around is the hours: the store is listed as open 24 hours, but the posted closing has not always matched that, so do not count on browsing at 3 AM without checking.

It suits a late-night meal, a quick bento before the train, or a curious browse through Shin-Okubo's Korean Town. Come for the prepared food, not for a full weekly shop.