"Hamburgers and personal computers are the same,"

Well, he's won me over.

McDonald's Japan losing billions of yen

So, that's like, what, 10 bucks?

Can anyone explain why this is a surprise?
sushi>big mac

MMMmmmm tofu *gag* burgers at *gag* McDonalds. I sure *gag* hope they *gag* make them available *gag* here.

That's right, thetritoneterror, 10 bucks. Which is maybe 0.00003 pounds sterling. Exchange rates are fun.

They should throw in a free Xbox with every Happy Meal.

The Japanese love big, noisy American gadgets.

iMc

got nada

You guys don't know gross until you've eaten at Japan's competitor to McDonald's, Mos Burger: http://www.mos.co.jp/index.html?

Nasty, nasty, nasty.

fark McDonalds. I hope they fail. They embody what is inherently wrong with capitalism.

And now for something completely different: The rice burger!

http://www.mos.co.jp/menu/calory/rh_07.html

fark McDonalds. I hope they fail. They embody what is inherently wrong with capitalism.

I may of got trolled but wrong. They are everything and more. They are actually the LIFE CYCLE OF CAPITALISM. Recognized name, huge growth, apex, struggling profblity in me too industry, decline, blandness and repetitiveness.

You see theres an end to everything.

I'm with SparkyJones23

I don't know why we even eat that crap here. Why would Japan want it?

I go to McDonalds maybe once a year and I *always* regret it.

They're showing "Falling Down" on HBO a lot lately. The scene with Michael Douglas in the WhammyBurger joint is the perfect summary of the U.S. fast food experience.

I've eaten in Japan's only Taco Bell.

Geez, you can lose a billion yen just by having a hole in your pocket, big whoop.

They've already had the premium mac and tofu macburger over here for a while. At least at my outlet. Actually, the food over here is a little better than the MCD's stateside. They don't keep the burgers under heating lamps or anything....and the french fries get thrown away after sitting out for about 20-30 minutes. Burgers are made as you order. Actually, the sizes are also a bit smaller, so you can order what they call a "large" size and only be getting what we consider between a small and medium in the states. Actually, with the bird flu and mad cow, all the fast food joints have been hit hard....there's nothing left that the public trusts except fish and pork.

fark McDonalds. I hope they fail. They embody what is inherently wrong with capitalism.

If you're going to troll at least start with something mildly believable.

I live in Japan, and I've been boycotting Makudonarudo since 1989. I read in the paper where they stated their "goal" was to change the eating habits of Japanese young people. The Japanese diet is thought to be one of the healthiest in the world, and is considered part of the reason why Japanese live so long - and MacDonald's wants to brainwash kids to abandon that just so they can make money. I thought that was unethical (because it would lead to an obesity problem like in the US), and I stopped going there altogether. I wouldn't mind if they went bankrupt. The food is beyond nasty anyway.
As for MOS Burger, it is one of the best, if you really want to eat fast food. It can still be greasy, but it is generally superior to other hamburger restaurants here, including the odd Wendy's (which used to be good before they shrunk the hamburger meat). Rice burgers may not appeal to you (and that's only one item on the menu - I usually have the spicy MOS burger with jalopenos, and no rice), but MOS Burger is marketed toward Japanese tastes, not American.
While I'm ranting, one other related thing I learned in Japan: stop drinking soda like it is water and you'll feel better. I used to have a can of cola in my hand all the time at work, and drank several a day. After someone pointed out that I am drinking concentrated sugar syrup, I stopped. Now if I sip a cola, it tastes like the sugar-water gunk that it truly is, and I rarely ever drink them anymore.

Mos teriyaki burgers! they're gr-r-reat!

but an onigiri with a pickled plum is God's snack. mmmm

BTW, at 120 yen to the dollar, a billion yen is about $8,333,333. If you have that much pocket change to lose to a hole, then I'd like to follow you around and collect what you drop.

Armandeus:BTW, at 120 yen to the dollar

Where are you banking these days? Today's yen rate is 107 yen to the U.S. dollar. I should know - I withdrew 40,000 yen from the Shonan bank down the street from my house at 11am.

-drin

skunkmasher

Insult MOS burger one more time and we will have to take it outside...

What's not to love? Genuinely spicy burgers, everything freshly prepared, great fries?

MOS > McDs

Also, MOS stands for Mountain, Ocean, Sun. Really!

Maybe if Makudonarudo didn't sponsor damn near every single anime series in Japan, they may have enough money left over to pay their executives the ridiculous salaries they deserve!

Momiage: I have never had so many people jump through hoops to get me a 59 yen hamburger.

Yeah, I live in Japan too and I don't eat at McDonalds any more, but last summer I was in for a quick bite at lunchtime and saw behind the counter all these signs saying "60 second challenge: Between 11am and 2pm we will try to get your food in 1 minute or less". I didn't take it literally and thought it was just a way of saying they would try and get my food as fast as possible.

Well, once I'd given my order of a double cheeseburger meal, the girl took out an egg-timer and flipped it over. After a flurry of activity my food arrived, she turned over the egg-timer again and announced breathlessly, "37 seconds!"

Then my friend was next, and her order was a little over - 1 minute 10 seconds or so. So they apologised and gave her some coupons for free chips and a drink for next time.

I don't speak a word of Japanese, but I had to be in Shimonoseki for a day for passport reasons, so I had the opportunity to eat at a Japanese McDonald's. They must not be too popular if they are losing money; I ended up paying more than I would pay in the U.S. for a considerably smaller serving size.

This topic reminds me that I owe the nation of Japan my deepest gratitude for having resataurant menus with pictures on them, and not just at fast food joints.

Tip for those of you in Japan: Hotels are much more expensive than all-night restaurants where you can order a piece of garlic bread between three hour naps.

McDonald's is teh suck. I won't take my kids there, much less eat anything from them myself.

In McDonalds in Japan, you can't even order a Big Mac Meal.

When I was there I got a 'Bacon and Cheese Hamburger with Fries and Drink Set'.

fark McDonalds, bring back YOSHINOYA!

Actually though, MOS burger tastes great but they put those giant tomato slices on there so the whole burger falls apart when you try to eat it. Freshness burger is good too but really greasy. I like Becker's though because their burgers are big and not too greasy.

Oh yeah, if anyone's interested there's supposed to be one Burger King left in Takadanobaba, but I haven't seen it myself.

WAT, Tofu my ass. No one likes tofu. fark tofu. I hope everyonr that eats tofu dies a horrible death. Oh, excuse me, my tofus done.

McDonalds in Japan is, well, like a fish out of water... or rather it's not like a fish in water, or something like that.

Why the fsck would anyone go to buger joint in Japan? Well, because when you live here, sometimes you just get one of those cravings. But, McDonalds is the wrong place to go. They don't sell *real* burgers. I'd go to A&W or MOS burger first (although MOS burger isn't a real burger joint either).

And while Japanese fair is generally healthy, I'm very much a pick and choose eater when it comes to Japanese food. Funny thing is, I usually choose the less healthy side of the plate and while this *still* may be healther than even healthy american food, it brings up the point that you really need to be indoctrinated at a young age to not let food adversions deprive you of a culture's full plate.

Besides, the thrill of showing your Japanese buddies that you're willing to eat nutto and salted fish guts (things *they* won't eat) wears off very quickly and becomes quite laborious upon making new acquaintenaces. Also, be aware of the "extra wasabi" trick when eating with saucy friends.

Still, with Yoshinoya's discontiunance of of Gyudon, beef is at the start of the downslope of the sine-wave of demand.

BTW, I got 109 out of the local $$s to Yen machines over the weekend. Never change your money at banks here, they're more corrupt than your average politician.

im with Armandeus on the "Schpieshi Mosu Baagaa"

Dirtydan: "I've eaten in Japan's only Taco Bell."
overlord: "Oh yeah, if anyone's interested there's supposed to be one Burger King left in Takadanobaba, but I haven't seen it myself."

- as far as i know the only existing branches of those chains (BK, Taco..) are on US military bases, there are others chains too that are only found in the states eg. Cinnabon - i was just visiting one recently.
I dunno DirtyDan: there are a lot of US bases here, full of alot of people who never leave them or want to.

**I gotta recommend the Burgers at Kua Aina (Hawaiian) in Aoyama (near Shibuya/Omotesando - the ginza line stops nearby)
- its a little bit pricey, but v filling and tasty!

Dirtydan, you'd go all the way to Japan and eat at Taco Bell???? Oh barf. Why are there places like Taco Lita, Taco Bell and Del Taco. Shiat, go to an authentic Mexican cafe and get decent food for about the same price. Try Salvadorean food. Get out. Why waste even one meal on crap? Prefab shell, regurgitated meat product ... YUCK!

Yoshinoya sucks too. It was a tiny bowl of fatty, tasteless meat over poorly cooked rice.

I would like to go to one of their pizza places and get a really weird topping. Eat where the people eat. They sure as crap aren't eating at McDonald's.

When do we get a "McDonald's" story banner. Isnt this the 5th or 6th day in a row with a McDonald's story?

My 120 yen to the dollar was way off, I admit. It was a gross approximation. The last time I actually exchanged dollars for yen was about 10 years ago. At 120 or 107, a billion yen is not pocket change. That was my point.

For those interested, I think there's a Burger King in Ikebukuro near Tokyu Hands. There's a Wendy's on that same street.

UMMMMMMMMMMM TOFFFFUUUUUU McRib.........

Surprised nobody has mentionned the "Tamago Biggu Maku" yet. It's a Big Mac, minus the middle piece of bread with an egg on top.

As for MOS burger, it's a lot better than McDonald's. Although I'm not too keen on the daikon burger, I do like the spicy one with the jalapenos.

Freshness Burger is good, but I find that the grease factor can be a little much. Think of it as an upscale McDonald's.

Finally the king would be Kua'Aina or as I call it, "The Big Kahuna Burger". There are three locations in Tokyo (okay two in Tokyo and one in Chiba). I'll normally hit the one in the Marunuchi building right by Tokyo Stn. It's about 1100 yen for a combo but it's a *damn* good burger.

I don't know if they had it in the States, but does anyone remember the Wendys (Japan) chicken burgers with the cheese in the meat? That was some tatsy stuff.