Job Discussion Forums

[nickelgoat]

.....

[Sweetsee]

Don't know about Hiroshima but I am pretty sure they pulled up stakes in Tokyo. Have you tried MosBurger, a little pricey but you might like it.

[abufletcher]

Maybe they're over by the Buick dealership.

Seriously though I'm curious how wide spread these sorts of American chains are in Japan as a whole. There aren't any Burger Kings or Wendy's in Shikoku as far as I know. There sure aren't any in Takamatsu which is the largest, most developed city here. Takamatsu does have a single (take out) Pizza Hut and Domino's and I think that's pretty much it for the entire prefecture of Kagawa (and I'm assuming also for Ehime, Kochi, and Tokushima).

We do have a "Pizza Royal Hat" (can you say copyright infringement?) that offers the most attrocious pizzas -- including options such as curry sauce instead of "italian sauce" and, of course, tuna and corn. We also have MOS Burger and Freshness Burger which offer a better quality burger (along with some odd Japanese offerings) than MacD's.

What I find curious is that if you visit a McDonald's or Wendy's in Tokyo you're almost guaranteed to see a forelorn gaijin or two. But in Shikoku, if I go to MacDonald's I'm almost always the only non-Japanese to be seen.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

That's because most Japanese people aren't familiar with places other than McD's and Mos(a kind of fungus) burger.

It's not often that Japanese people try new things and so all they have left is a simple choice: disgusting crap, or putrid crap.

However, Freshness Burger is good, but a little on the small size for what you get (their small is about the size of the old burger buddies from Burger Thing- that dumb idea to put three of the tiniest burgers that human fingers can hold onto into a single package and charge the same as a regular single burger for it, even though all told it's about half the size of a regular burger. I guess Timbits-Canadians know what I'm talking about- took off and the Thing tried to make a hamburger version of Timbits).

[David W]

If you see a chain of restaurants called "GUSTO" they have a nice cheeseburger and fries deal. 500 yen. Best burger I've had in Japan.
Abufletcher- I think you'll find Matsuyama is bigger than Takamatsu. Just an FYI your other points I agree with.

[Sweetsee]

And while you are enjoying that cheeseburger and fries you can enjoy BS1 programming at "Gusto". If you look in the paper you will find the TV listings and perhaps you can catch an NBA game.

[cornishmuppet]

I second that Gusto burger deal. Cracking.

Would kill for a Burger King, as I hate MacDonalds, and like a virus, they`re everywhere. Still, they`re much cheaper than in England, and if you`re on the move, they do the trick. KFC isn`t bad, though. My personal favourite is Subway, which have a few in the bigger cities. Not got one in Nagano, more`s the pity.

[abufletcher]

Oh yeah, I forgot all about KFC. We have those too. No Subway (either the restaurant or the transportation network). I'll have to give The Gusto burger a shot. I've tried a couple other things on the menu and have been disappointed. All in all I don't care for the quasi-western foods served at places like Gusto and Green House. I'd rather just have udon or Hoka Hoka bento!

BTW, I've heard that Matsuyama is larger in terms of population and area than Takamatsu but that Takamatsu is actually more developed. But maybe that just what Kagawa residents like to say!

[David W]

[abufletcher]

Another interesting fast food fact in at least my part of Japan: The MOS burger is patronized almost entirely by females. I'm regularly the only guy there. On the other hand, the Hoka Hoka bento down the street is virtually all guys. Apparently only women eat foreign food.

MacDonald's seem to be primarily for families with very young children, high school couples, or salarymen smoking and doing paperwork.

[J.]

Mos Burger is by far the best; they even have or used to have a burger dressed with spicy chili sauce, the French fries are good and the fried chicken is REALLY good, much better than KFC. Haven't eaten there in awhile but fond memories from my first years here. Now if I want something "authentic", I just cook it myself. Also for stuff you can heat up at home, like Pizza, you might want to check out Flying Pig for C.O.D. delivery from Costco.

www.theflyingpig.com

Okayama has a Wendy's near the station but I wouldn't recommend it, nothing like what I remembered from home.

Check out the restaurant chain "Dear" for all kinds of pasta stuff ( but not sure if it's only around here). Actually if you like Italian food, you should be able to find a reasonable facsimile of what you're used to here; they're practically on every corner. Check around till you find one you like.

[Willy_In_Japan]

Possibly bad news about the Gusto burger.

I discovered it before Christmas near where I live and had a few, and thought it was the best burger for the money, bar none. It was a good sized burger, and had two patties.

Unfortunately, a new menu came out at my Gusto about two months ago, and it has a NEW Gusto burger....same price, but half the size....more like a Mos burger burger......I don't know if that is chain wide, but I would make a guess that you will be unpleasantly surprised the next time you go to Gusto.

[easyasabc]

Nickelgoat - I can't give you any good news about Burger King or Wendys but I lived right near Hiroshima for about 6 years and I can give you the scoop on lots of good places to eat. Have you found Blue Flat Cafe yet just off hondori????

In particular if you want something like you'd get at home and you're willing to go find it there is a place called California Chicken in Iwakuni-shi(45 minutes from Hiroshima) which is heaven. It has American style fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, real BLTs and burgers. I'd kill for one of their sandwiches right now.

Oh! Yeah! Iwakuni also has a Japanese place which reportedly featured in Playboy magazine years ago as the best BLT in the world??? Hmmmmm - have to wonder if that's really true but that's how the rumour goes. If you want any more info just PM me.

[shikushiku-boy]

I was in Hiroshima last October.

I found a Subway (the staff were pretty helpful).

Mosburger...damn good. No English menu: just point and smile.

Lotteria...nothing to write home about.

KFC...can be a little on the pricy side, I always thought.

[osakajojo]

one other great thing about mosburger..........they have japs!












(jalapenos)