I was in Kobe a few weeks ago and it was the same, all over the city center.
As a consumer honestly there is little to complain, they ARE very convenient.
But grandparent is correct: a lot of items are expensive for what they are (some of the "fresh" meals cost as much as a eating in a normal ramen/noodle place on the street), so you pay for the convenience.
> I was in Kobe a few weeks ago and it was the same, all over the city center.
That's only in Sannomiya. Go in Suma, Nada, Rokko, you won't find that many combinis within a very short walking distance. The city center is appropriate for this kind of density because there's 3 different train lines (and 4 if you consider the metro) stopping right at the same place transporting hundreds of thousands of people every day.
As a consumer honestly there is little to complain, they ARE very convenient.
But grandparent is correct: a lot of items are expensive for what they are (some of the "fresh" meals cost as much as a eating in a normal ramen/noodle place on the street), so you pay for the convenience.