Japan is a wonderful county with obviously amazing cuisine. Sashimi anyone? But you know how it is, every now and again you just next a good old fashioned piece of American comfort food. What is the American fast food scene in Japan?
Let check out the American Fast Food Scene in Japan.
The big five American fast-food restaurants in Japan
McDonalds – McDonalds Japan was the first Asian franchise of McDonalds and one of the oldest in the world (1971). Originally for US servicemen it is now a big deal in Japan.
KFC in Japan – KFC, much has they did in China managed to beat McDonalds to the punch by arriving in 1970. With almost 1200 branches they are KFC’s 3rd largest market after the USA and “communist” China. You will see KFC everywhere in Japan.
Wendy’s in Japan – Entered the Japanese market and now have 136 stores in the country, although 130 of them happen to be in Kento.
Burger King in Japan – A relative late arrival in 1996 Burger King can be found in most major cities of the country and have 99, o so stores. With the global economy as it is stores are likely to close.
Subway in Japan – I hate Subway, but hey the world seems to love it, and Japan love it. Originally entered the market in 2002 and hit a heady height of 488 restaurants, although it has been in stark decline since.
Best Japanese fast food restaurant?
Every country has their own variation on burgers, chicken and fries and the Japanese have Lotteria. Originally founded by Japanese-Koreans it is the most famous fast food restaurant in Japan and indeed its major export.
You will find Lotteria throughout Vietnam and I personally love the burgers that they serve. The rice dishes, not so much….
Jollibee in Japan
OK, so this is going off on a little bit of tangent, but Jollibee is a legendary restaurant from the Philippines. You can read more about Jollibee here. Currently their one store largely services the Filipino diaspora. Who doesn’t like Jollibee spaghetti?
And that is the lowdown on American fast food in Japan!