I suppose it is fitting to talk about McDonald’s in Japan as it was the last stop before we headed back home Stateside, a sort of transition from Japan to America. I have pretty much removed McDonald’s from my dietary routine, for weigh cutting reasons and now for fair trade and sustainability purposes, but prior to this change, I always found it interesting to visit the local McDonald’s in different countries to see what they have that’s different than the local Los Angeles McDonald’s.
First thing is, they apparently deliver McDonald’s in Japan. Check out the McD’s deliver scooters above.
Next, portion size is different. One of my first memories of Japan’s McDonald’s was waiting on a street corner for one of my mom’s friends to come pick us up on a cold winter morning in Tokyo. We went in to buy hot tea and coffee to stay warm, and I had to ask for more packets of sugar because they were so tiny. So portion size in Japan is smaller compared to U.S. (isn’t everyone’s portions smaller than ours?), even in McDonald’s.
Finally, what’s available on the menu is different too. When I went to Hawaii, they had a eggs, spam, and rice breakfast there along with noodle soup and coconut pies. I wanted to order something in Japan’s McDonald’s I couldn’t get back home–the Ebi Filet-O-Fish Burger. Ebi is Japanese for shrimp.
How did it taste? Well, as good as it can. I’m sure most people who enjoy fried, fast foods would find this pretty tasty. Filet-O-Fish has always been my favorite item at McDonald’s from when I was a little kid, so having shrimp in it just made it more awesome.
If you’re wondering why I’m not dying over how awesome it was, I just have to repeat my disclaimer that my palate has received a drastic overhaul over the last few years, and I no longer enjoy fried and salty foods as much.
Also, having read Eating Animals and Chew on This this past summer, I can’t even stomach McDonald’s anymore for a gazillion reasons, so this will likely be the last of my international McDonald’s experiences.
At first, I was impressed by the interior decor of the McDonald’s there, finding it more modern cafe stop style, but a lot of the McDonald’s in the States have gotten a make over, and that’s actually becoming a common norm here too. Although, I don’t think they have as many outlets in the McDonald’s here as they do in Japan. The outlet is the new watering hole.
After our McDonald’s meal, we decided to wrap up the night by going to a local arcade. And by arcade, I mean an entire building full of arcade games, photo booths, crane games…you name it, they’ve got it. We decided to pool our resources (coins) and see if we could get this awesome Mikasa statue from Attack on Titan.
Many failed attempts later, we finally got it, thanks to a patient arcade attendant who tried to show us tricks on how to get it to work.
Well, there you have it. Hope you’ve enjoyed my traveling Japan series. I know I sure had a blast reliving the trip every week. Next travelogue series will be Traveling Hawaii!
