The Old School Otaku Lounge

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2013 11:06 am**

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2013 11:08 am**

Japan is going crazy for the Mega Potato

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/05/13/t ... s-rejoice/

Only in Japan....a Potato Holder from McDonalds

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/04/18/u ... you-drive/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... cpaCgQeQww

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2013 11:13 am**

Burger King 50% off? (well, it's still higher than our value meal in the US...)

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2013 4:58 pm**

Burger King was phenomenal when they were first in Japan. the taste and quality was comparable to Carls Jr. Their restaurants had a 50's diner motif, and the burgers were grilled in the middle of the place for all to see. American Burger King could not even compare. Then in 2001, they packed up and left Japan. A week before I got married in March 2001, I went to Tokyo to finalize a few things for my upcoming wedding ceremony, and I stopped by the Burger King in Ikebukuro for lunch. They were tearing it all down in front of my eyes, loading everything onto trucks to clear it all out. I was depressed. I think the spot later became a Denny's. When you think of Denny's, you think of sandwiches and Grand Slam breakfasts. Nope, not in Japan. When you think of Big Boy, you think of burgers. Nope, not in Japan. They both suck. Burger King was awesome. They've since returned to Japan, but it isn't the same. I ate there back in December and I realized I wasn't missing much.

Similarly, Little Ceasar's Pizza had appeared in Japan in 2000. While it is just cheap garbage pizza in the USA, it was freaking gourmet quality pizza in Japan. One opened up a block or so away from my apartment in Himeji, and they had an open house where we could go and eat free pizza. They had flown some pizza cooks from America and were training the new Japanese employees how to make pizza. My friend and I went there for FREE NOMZ and it was great. Unfortunately, they didn't last long, and a couple years later they were bought out by some boring-ass Japanese pizza company. They were awesome while they were around, though.

It's hard finding decent burgers in Japan. Burger King is okay, I guess. McDonalds is crap anywhere you go. Lotteria is passable I suppose. Mos Burger is actually nice because they don't even bother trying to be American and sell burgers with a real Japanese twist to them. KFC in Japan is okay, and it isn't so salty like it is in the US. However, their cole slaw doesn't even compare to that in the US. I really miss Church's Chicken back home...

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2013 5:40 pm**

greg wrote:Burger King was phenomenal when they were first in Japan. the taste and quality was comparable to Carls Jr. Their restaurants had a 50's diner motif, and the burgers were grilled in the middle of the place for all to see. American Burger King could not even compare. Then in 2001, they packed up and left Japan. A week before I got married in March 2001, I went to Tokyo to finalize a few things for my upcoming wedding ceremony, and I stopped by the Burger King in Ikebukuro for lunch. They were tearing it all down in front of my eyes, loading everything onto trucks to clear it all out. I was depressed. I think the spot later became a Denny's. When you think of Denny's, you think of sandwiches and Grand Slam breakfasts. Nope, not in Japan. When you think of Big Boy, you think of burgers. Nope, not in Japan. They both suck. Burger King was awesome. They've since returned to Japan, but it isn't the same. I ate there back in December and I realized I wasn't missing much.

Similarly, Little Ceasar's Pizza had appeared in Japan in 2000. While it is just cheap garbage pizza in the USA, it was freaking gourmet quality pizza in Japan. One opened up a block or so away from my apartment in Himeji, and they had an open house where we could go and eat free pizza. They had flown some pizza cooks from America and were training the new Japanese employees how to make pizza. My friend and I went there for FREE NOMZ and it was great. Unfortunately, they didn't last long, and a couple years later they were bought out by some boring-ass Japanese pizza company. They were awesome while they were around, though.

It's hard finding decent burgers in Japan. Burger King is okay, I guess. McDonalds is crap anywhere you go. Lotteria is passable I suppose. Mos Burger is actually nice because they don't even bother trying to be American and sell burgers with a real Japanese twist to them. KFC in Japan is okay, and it isn't so salty like it is in the US. However, their cole slaw doesn't even compare to that in the US. I really miss Church's Chicken back home...

I ate several pizza places in Japan...Pizza Hut, Dominos and Pizza La. Expensive though! But never tried Little Caesar in Japan...

As for KFC, I always am surprised of the toys offered and how their biscuits are like donut shaped. I never tried the cole slaw (big slaw fan).

As for burgers, McDonalds was ok...Lotteria was ok...Mos Burger....too small for the price. Wendy's I know is much more elegant than in the US. So, I felt I could get way more by going konbini.

Subway was normal...which was surprising.

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2013 6:39 pm**

At least KFC Japan tries to make their image cool with these various campaigns:

Last month it was the DBZ film, now it's Kyari Kyari Pamyu

http://youtu.be/1BtOcVO_Ot0

Posted: **Fri Jun 14, 2013 3:57 pm**

Of the above list I've had:

Beard Papa: They came once to the Mitsuwa by me. The one we went to in Morioka was located in the train station. It was the only time in my life I've had the smell of food physically drag me. The apple ones were amazing.

McDonalds: I had the Big Chicken and the nuggets, they tasted much better then the ones back home. I guess because they aren't all white meat?

Mister Donut: Went there once when up north, had some kind of cute pumpkin donut. Also had Krispy Kreme once somewhere in the greater Tokyo area.

Moss Burger: I ate one, but I don't really remember it being that great.

I also had a cake parfait thing at the Baskin Robbins in Morioka. Besides that, I think that was mostly it for fast food. I took pictures of a lot of the food we ate in Japan, I'll try to upload some of them.

Posted: **Fri Jun 14, 2013 4:04 pm**

Ah, they have a Beard Papa in Seattle and I loved it! I miss going there, lol.

Man, that Mega Potato is...crazy.

That seems like something you'd find in America!

Posted: **Fri Jun 14, 2013 6:32 pm**

Do they have Dairy Queen in Japan? I have one on the next street over from my house. I don't much like their ice cream anymore but their burgers are flame broiled and not recooked, so they taste real good. For ice cream we have 2 local joints. Merla Mae which has been around since the 1960s but has changed hands a couple times used to have the best ice cream in town for soft serve. The twin flavour chocolate and vanilla was to die for but since the ownership changed hands some years ago, it's not the same. You could also get concoctions made up. I used to get a special Hot Fudge and Butterscotch Sundae made up that was really great. Now, the other place TJ's has supplanted them with 21 flavours of soft serve and about the same in hard ice cream. They make their own, so it tastes fantastic!

Posted: **Sat Jun 15, 2013 3:52 pm**

Dairy Queen does not exist in Japan. I miss their dipped cones. For soft serve vanilla ice cream, I really miss Sonic's stuff. Sonic is like the inverse of Dairy Queen: it has mediocre burgers with great soft serve. (Drive-ins like Sonic do not exist in Japan at all, and is a wild concept to even imagine for Japanese people.)

The big ice cream chain in Japan is Baskin Robbins, which everyone calls "Thirty One" here. I've seen a few Cold Stones, but I don't care for their ice cream at all. The last time I tried eating at Cold Stone, I threw most of it out.

Krispy Kreme came to Tokyo a few years back, and there is now one in Shizuoka, close to where I live. There was a two hour wait when they first opened. I'm not a fan of Mr. Donuts, but it's better than nothing. I saw an old Japanese movie from the '80s that had Dunkin' Donuts. I can't remember if it was Tokyo Pop or Tampopo. Apparently they didn't last long in Japan.

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Fast Food Japan/Other restaurants in JP Discussion Thread

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