Japan does have better burgers, if you're talking about fastfood chains.

Mcdonalds here is better than Mcdonalds in the west, and Mos and Freshness better still, beating out Wendys, A&W, Burger King etc. Checkers is awesome but they are few and far between.

If you're talking relatively expensive gourmet burgers etc then it's inevitable that Japan will lose due to the smaller market. There are a few damn good places though. Tried a nice Hawaiian burger shop here a few weeks ago. Cheap and tasted great but it was a dripping mess with all the toppings on it.

Jarvik7 Wrote:Mcdonalds here is better than Mcdonalds in the west..

How is McDonalds different? I'm pretty sure the main burgers taste exactly the same worldwide - do they have extra things on the menu in Japan?

Jarvik7 Wrote:Mos and Freshness better still..

Meh, I had a Mos Burger expecting great things (after all the comments I've heard from Japanese friends and online), and...its one of the blandest cheeseburgers ive ever eaten. Give me Burger King anyday. That said, i didn't try the rice-burger yet - that looks pretty tasty..

More care goes into making the burgers so they aren't a giant sloppy mess that has been sitting on the warmer for an hour. The fries are actually edible here too. I can't remember the last time I had fries that weren't several hours old at McD in Canada.
It's not because of the superior work ethic of the Japanese or whatever Nihonjinron (most of the staff in Nagoya are Chinese or Brazilian-Japanese), but the extreme competition in the food industry here demands more so halfass employees tend to get fired.

There are constantly (literally) a variety of limited-time only menu items. There are also some permanent Japan-only menu items but I'm not a fan (McPork, Teriyaki burger). I go to McD here more than I ever did in Canada (which was almost never).

I suppose Mos depends on what you order. That said I almost never go there because it's extremely slow, small and expensive. I don't know how you could rate Burger King higher, they are the worst possible, which is why they do so poorly in Canada. At least say A&W or Wendys.

I've only been to Freshness twice because it literally takes like 30 minutes to get a burger out of them.

I haven't found anything comparable to In-N-Out in Japan. The limited time 唐揚げ burger at Mos Burger came close. In fact, I haven't found anything that even beats Jack in the Box or Carls Jr. I suppose I'm spoiled from living in California, where every burger joint tries to top the others. I shouldn't even begin to mention the diners that have been open for more than half a century simply due to their burgers.

Even when I ate meat, I wouldn't touch those burger joints unless I was down to my last couple of dollars. That stuff is nasty.
What I miss is...
#1 spinach, goat cheese and gorgonzola sauce pizza
#2 oily, spicy, cheesy Mexican food. Not the bland overpriced version I find in Kyoto.
#3 fresh Hawaiian tropical fruit in season right off the tree

Jarvik7 Wrote:Mcdonalds here is better than Mcdonalds in the west

I didn't notice anything different to McDonalds in the UK when I had it in Japan.

Haven't noticed much different here in Hong Kong either, except that the apple pies are worse and I feel like the coke is different.

I really can't wait to see your pictures, and I hope you will post lot's of 'em once you are back, mezbup!

The Mcdonalds here I've noticed here is a lot more salty in general than in the UK, and which idiot invented the abomination that's the McGriddle.. horrid. Japanese food I find rather bland a lot of the time, and usually laced with sugar to compensate.

bodhisamaya Wrote:#3 fresh Hawaiian tropical fruit in season right off the tree

One thing that bugs me is the ridiculous price of mangoes in Japan, especially considering the poor quality of the ones typically available at the supermarket. While the mangoes in America aren't cheap (~$2-3/each) or of high quality either, they're nowhere near as bad as the mangoes in Japan (which are around 600-700円 when on sale, i.e. when they begin to go bad).

Needless to say, I eat mangos non-stop whenever I visit my relatives in the Philippines, where they cost just a few cents, if not free. Not to mention, the quality of Filipino mangos puts their Japanese (Okinawa/Kyuushu) and American (Mexico/Florida) versions to shame.

fakewookie Wrote:Haven't noticed much different here in Hong Kong either, except that the apple pies are worse and I feel like the coke is different.

Yep same in Taiwan. Coke is way less sweet and less fizzy - kinda tastes like tea!

Also instead of Apple pies in McDonalds, we get banana and pineapple pies. Soo good!

Gingerninja Wrote:Japanese food I find rather bland a lot of the time, and usually laced with sugar to compensate.

Funny I was going to post the same thing. Food seems tastier in Asia cos its so full of additives and sugar. Everything is so shiny and sweet!
The worst thing is bread - it tastes like cake, and it's always white - can't seem to find a brown loaf anywhere

I always miss berries in Japan, especially blackberries

aphasiac Wrote:

Gingerninja Wrote:Japanese food I find rather bland a lot of the time, and usually laced with sugar to compensate.

Funny I was going to post the same thing. Food seems tastier in Asia cos its so full of additives and sugar. Everything is so shiny and sweet!
The worst thing is bread - it tastes like cake, and it's always white - can't seem to find a brown loaf anywhere

The funny thing is that no one has actually mentioned any Japanese food

aphasiac Wrote:Food seems tastier in Asia cos its so full of additives and sugar. Everything is so shiny and sweet!

Not really.

I had some Okonomiyaki in Nara with a bunch of Osakans. We had a good laugh about that.

Today I took a stroll through a regular Osaka neighbourhood (ちょっと田舎の方なんだけど） and went to a regular little shopping center with a friend. Was fun, really hot though. Nothing special but it's nice seeing a real slice of Japanese life staying at my friends house.

We went and had dinner at a family friends house... that was interesting. So there's 4 of us: 2 young, 2 old. The おじさん was a great character and a really friendly guy (who made awesome spaghetti btw) but as everyone knows... kinda hard to make out what he was talkin about!! Sometimes I'd get like 40% of what he was saying which is hard for me to deal with cos I haven't felt that way in a long time! So those times just nod and smile but we still did manage to have a very lively conversation about oil paintings and water colours. Very creative man... wouldn't think he was a salary man at all!

After that we watched some variety shows in the living room and I in general just enjoyed an evening of Japanese being the norm. Was great. I love watching Japanese tv with Japanese people, kinda makes me feel normal for a change! Sitting round ooing and aahing, laughing at random stuff. Ah, I wish I had access to real Japanese Tv back home.

Last night I watched 美男です, a korean drama airing in Japan, with Japanese subs. I could read fast enough with good comprehension to completely follow the entire thing. Felt kinda like an achievement to watch something in a foreign language with Japanese subs and come out on top. Haha.

Tomoz I'm going to Kyoto! I think it will be rather hot...

@mezbup
Sounds like your learning has paid off. How much did it cost to take a trip to japan, I've always heard it's quite expensive(or maybe that's just me).

Hah I know what you mean about understanding only 40% sometimes... Some older people's accents are really tough. I tend to understand younger people just fine though.

Edit: it cost me $1500/ticket from Atlanta to Narita

Yeah, I have no problem with younger poeple! It's them old folks... ah but they're awesome.

Seeing as it's my first time to Japan I spared no expense. I wound up spending $6000 NZD on the trip altogether ($3000 of which was spending money). Managed to spend 5/6 of my spending money in the first 4 days! So overall I could have spent a LOT less on my trip considering I bought tonnes of gifts for people and 18 books. Plus staying in flash hotels at sweet locations....

ahh, but i wouldn't change a thing!

Mezbup, you sound pretty fluent - conversations with natives, watching native TV etc etc.

Why do you think it'll take another 2 years of study to get your Japanese up to scratch? Sounds like you're most of the way there already - and more difficult stuff can be picked up when encountered?

I'm pretty fluent but the way I see it, when it comes to English I feel like 余裕って感じ but when it comes to Japanese it's like 集中しないと‼. So when I say it'll take a few more years I mean to get my Japanese to the point where it's 余裕.

Hashiriya Wrote:Hah I know what you mean about understanding only 40% sometimes... Some older people's accents are really tough. I tend to understand younger people just fine though.

Edit: it cost me $1500/ticket from Atlanta to Narita

there and back I presume. Since I live in Canada at the moment. I can probably expect a similar price. Although I'll research it up

mezbup Wrote:I'm pretty fluent but the way I see it, when it comes to English I feel like 余裕って感じ but when it comes to Japanese it's like 集中しないと‼. So when I say it'll take a few more years I mean to get my Japanese to the point where it's 余裕.

you sound pretty fluent to me. Reading is solid,listening is solid. Your speaking has improved to a level of near-fluency(I presume). All that's left is writing and making a few points more solid. Personally, I'm heading towards the 2 year mark this September. I feel near-fluent in listening/reading. To that 90%+ margin. If I keep learning Jp, I expect another 2 years to get my speaking/writing up the same level(all it really comes down to putting in the time)

aphasiac Wrote:Mezbup, you sound pretty fluent - conversations with natives, watching native TV etc etc.

Why do you think it'll take another 2 years of study to get your Japanese up to scratch? Sounds like you're most of the way there already - and more difficult stuff can be picked up when encountered?

From experience, most people reach their initial goal of fluency in the 1-2 year mark. But as you get better, you start to chance your opinion on what it really means to be fluent. Most people say speaking and listening. While some argue complete proficiency(reading,speaking,writing and listening).

mezbup Wrote:Tomoz I'm going to Kyoto! I think it will be rather hot...

This weekend is Gion Matsuri and Shijou will be packed with beautiful girls wearing Yukata!

vileru Wrote:I haven't found anything comparable to In-N-Out in Japan. The limited time 唐揚げ burger at Mos Burger came close. In fact, I haven't found anything that even beats Jack in the Box or Carls Jr. I suppose I'm spoiled from living in California, where every burger joint tries to top the others. I shouldn't even begin to mention the diners that have been open for more than half a century simply due to their burgers.

not to mention the recent surge in trendy burgers in socal...

i thought mcd's tasted exactly the same as it did in LA. not that great, haha. the only difference is that the cup size is smaller, the dining area is smaller, and you have to separate your garbage. =)