So for the day time part, the cultural commentary will be on the growing obesity rate in Japan. Yes, it's such a touchy subject but one that is growing in concern throughout Japan like the war on drugs is to America. Recent reports that Mississippi has a 30% obesity rate has brought the issue to the spotlight. Traditionally when we think of a large Japanese we think Sumo Wrestlers, the pride and joy of Japan, but that is a very special subset like professional football players in America.
The Japanese pride themselves on being small, thin and fit and many go to great lengths to look the part far worse than in America (except California). Parents are strict, blunt and often degrading to their slightly overweight daughters but despite that and the cultural forces dissuading such, they are getting fat. Although not nearly as bad as the problems in America, the concern is growing.
The cause much like in America is fast food.
Japan has always had fast food being a culture constantly on the go.
Sushi, ramen, and curry shops adorn the city as common as the corner McDonalds or Taco Bell but Japanese fast food is not the problem.
American fast food has slowly crept into their daily diets tempting them with quick, easy and delicious foods to go.
American fast food offers what most Japanese quick eateries don't, eating on the go. It's difficult to eat a bowl of ramen while walking to your train station (even thought it only takes 10 minutes order and finish your meal) so many turn to burgers, fries and fried chicken. McDonalds adorn the streets along with BK, KFC and Krispy Creme but it's not just American companies which are part of the problem. Japanese owned fast food joints such as Mos Burger and Mr. Donut add fuel to the fire. All these establishments are busy as we walk by them, populated by young and old alike.
These places aren't cheap either. You can often get away from a curry or ramen shop for under $4 but go to McDonalds and get a meal you can easily spend $10 for a burger, fries and drink. Donut shops aren't cheap either, sometimes coming as high as $2 a donut or $20 for a dozen. As we ate at McDonalds, Mos Burger, Krispy Creme and Mr. Donut we can understand why they are lured in to such quick fixes. Greasy, fast and delicious is the American way and many Japanese want to be like America. I guess they can be fat like America too.
End commentary.
The day started like any other day, waking up at 7 and working for a few hours. We wanted to take it easy and experience Japan's night life instead of the day time attractions we've been doing for the past week. We had a nice seaweed soup for breakfast and headed out to exchange more money and Mos Burger for lunch. The exchange rate has taken an upswing today so it's a good opportunity to get some more yen before the American Dollar falls again. We wanted to try Mos Burger not because we missed American fast food. No, on the contrary, I could eat traditional food every day and be very happy. We tried it because I wanted to get a good idea on how their diets and tastes are changing.
We wanted to try Mos Burger because it's one of the most popular growing fast food joints in Japan selling American style hamburgers but with a Japanese twist. Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted with an English menu just for us. We selected three items, a regular cheeseburger ($350), A cheeseburger with pork topping ($390), a shaved beef burger on rice bun ($350) and a large fry ($270). The burgers came in an open sleeve (and for good reason) while the rice burger came in a insulated foam sleeve. $13.60 for the both of us. Overall impression, a definite improvement over American fast food burger (but not as good as a double double from In-and-Out).
Mos Burger Menu
Mos Burger Images
First the cheese burger. The patty was a decent size, 1/3 pound border lining half. It was very saucy but in large part due to the cheese they use. It's a slice of something that has a low melting point so the cheese turns into a cheese sauce when placed on the burger. I love the extra large ripe tomato they place on the burgers. Next the cheeseburger with pork topping. Again, very delicious and saucy. The pork topping with onions was a good addition while the rest of the burger remained the same. Lastly the most unusual, the shaved beef burger on rice cake. This was served in a foam sleeve for a very good reason, the burger is freaking HOT! Take it out and it nearly burns you, even after spending the time eating the first two burgers. The rice cake serving as buns was really nice to eat, albeit falling apart by the time we got to it. The beef was sauced with a teriyaki type glaze and like most fast food joints, put way more than necessary. It was a good burger and I would like to try the other rice cake burgers again. The fries were good being traditional half inch cut fries, deep fried and unsalted. Their ketchup was the best part of that tasting of natural tomatoes unlike what we are use to with Heintz. Oh, BTW, their large fry is the equivalent to our Small or Regular (depending on where you go) with no option to super size me. Fortunately for Japan, they aren't obsessed with drinks so their average drink size is 16 oz, sometimes even small as 8 oz and that's all they need. In the end, they improved on the American burger and it's not a good thing.
After sufficiently stuffing ourselves with burgers we went back to the room, did some more work and prepared for tonight. I took a short nap because in my old age, I wouldn't last past 12, especially going to a night club.
Location:２丁目,Shinjuku Ward,Japan
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