McDonald's in Japan

I used to eat McDonald's a lot as a child but as I got older I try to stop eating it for various reasons. Who knew something like a big American fast food chain would be so popular in Japan? There are other American chains in Japan, but nothing like the big changes McDonald's in Japan has compared to the American ones.

Let's start off with the physical looks. There are McDonald's everywhere in Japan. Some stores have their own building that can range from a first to a second floor business. I've even seen McDonald's in some train stations. If you go inside of any of the McDonald's in Japan you will be amazed by how clean and nice everything looks. Some McDonald's in America are getting remodeled, but the ones in Japan just look so nice! Like I actually want to sit and eat there. Speaking of sitting and eating there, Japan doesn't have a McDonald's drive thru from what I know of so your options are eating there or taking it to go.

Inside of the first floor of a McDonald's in Kyoto, Japan.

Now let's discuss the really important part about McDonald's, the food. I don't really know how to explain it except telling you to just try it for yourself if you go to Japan, but their food tastes different in a good way. I don't feel like I'm dying with every bite I take. Don't get me wrong, it's still fast food quality so it's not healthy or anything, but it does taste better. They have all the McDonald's signature foods such as the Big Mac and the Quarter Pounder. They even have their dollar menu in Japan, it's just called the 100￥(100 yen) menu.

McDonald's Japan regular menu.

Since we're in Japan, they obviously have Japan specific food on their regular menu. My personal favorite is the teriyaki burger. It's so delicious, and I wish the American McDonald's had it. I've also seen a shrimp burger on their menu but never tried it. And a really unique, fun item they have on their regular menu is the shaka shaka chicken. It's a friend chicken patty in a bag that you pour a seasoning powder of your choice in and shake it up. It's very good and is a perfect little snack if you're looking for something small to eat in between meals. As for drinks, they have melon soda and grade soda as a fountain drink choice along with the usual Coca Cola products.

My husband trying the Shaka Shaka Chicken for the first time. He loved it!

And then there are the things that make McDonald's in Japan news worthy, the specialty/seasonal items. McDonald's Japan is a great place to try specialty/seasonal foods in Japan. There are many food items that came out in the past, but I'll only be covering two items that I've had before. The first is a drink called a sakura soda float. It is sweet and delicious. It has a little but sweet cherry taste and vanilla ice cream on top. The sakura float is also very pretty, so pretty I like to look at it for a bit before destroying it. This item is released during the cherry blossom season, so March thru April.

The prettiest McDonald's drink ever, the Sakura Soda Float.

I stopped at a McDonald's during my 2016 Fall trip. I don't think it was a seasonal item, just a specialty item but it was the Kalbi Mac. They describe it as a Korean seasoned beef burger. It sounded delicious, and it was. It reminded me of Korean BBQ beef. I'm not sure if it will ever come available again at McDonald's Japan, but they're always coming out with different items so you won't be disappointed if you just walk in and take a look at their menu.

Eating the Kalbi Mac from McDonald's Japan.

I hope you enjoyed finding out what McDonald's is like in Japan. I always at least go once during my stay in Japan. I originally wouldn't bother going because I'm there for Japanese food, but it's so different from the McDonald's in America so I don't mind making McDonald's one of my meal choices while in Japan.

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Until next time!