TravelPulse: "7 Insights for Traveling to Japan"

Above, the Wako department store clock tower with its winter lights. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those who are considering a vacation trip to Japan and wonder what to expect, TravelPulse has and article on "7 Insights for Traveling to Japan".

They cover such topics as hospitality, safety, transportation, lodging, quirks, toilets and Christmas at KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken).

They begin with:

With Tokyo hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics, many tourists are making plans to cross the Pacific and visit the Asian country of Japan for the first time. This group of islands offers some great sights, sounds and experiences throughout, so don’t limit yourself to Tokyo. From Mount Fuji to the marshlands of Hokkaido to Japan’s tiniest island of Shikoku, each prefecture offers its own magic. Here is just a sampling of what you will find in this enchanted country.

To read more, go here. 

Sounds Like Something From The Onion

Above, Haruo Nakajima and yours truly at the 2013 Mad Monster Party.

The Onion is a satirical website of fake, but humorous news. What was posted today on Facebook sounds like something The Onion would post, but it is real.

Eben McGarr, the organizer of the Mad Monster Party conventions, posted a legal action document filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that was apparently put forth by Monster Energy Company (the maker of Monster energy drinks). They contend that Mad Monster Party is in some sort of infringement of their alleged trademark of the word "monster". I kid you not!

Here it is:

Supposedly, they contend that Mad Monster Party's use of the word "monster" is a trademark infringement. Really? If that's the case, then anyone (such as the TV show, Monster Madhouse) using the word "monster" would also be infringing on their trademark. [Since we don't have the full document, it looks like that McGarr may have applied to trademark the "Mad Monster Party" convention name (which is a reasonable thing to do), but Monster Energy Company is opposing it.]

[I attended the 2013 Mad Monster Party convention as the "wrangler" for Godzilla suit actor Haruo Nakajima.]

This reminds me of what the state of Kentucky did years ago. They obtained a trademark for the word "Kentucky" and that anyone using that word is infringing. That's why Kentucky Fried Chicken changed their name to KFC.

This is nuts! Will Mad Monster Party have to change their name to MMP if Monster Energy Company prevails?

How Much Does Fast Food Cost In Japan?

Above, a Yoshinoya restaurant on a snowy day in Chiba Prefecture. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Many times, visitors come to Japan with limited budgets or, after a few days of splurging, find themselves a little short of yen. Still, people have to eat and the old reliable fast food restaurants will be a big help in stretching out their yen.

Fortunately, City-Cost.com has an article on the prices of fast food restaurants, Western and Japanese.

It begins with:

They’re all here - McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Lotteria (although this comes from South Korea), Taco Bell, Shake Shack … Wendy’s!

Certainly McDonald’s and KFC are an ever present and very popular in Japan. Fans of Burger King will have to really keep eyes peeled or do some planning. Taco Bell, at the time of writing only has franchises in Tokyo. As for Wendy’s, in 2015 they teamed up with Japanese fast food chain First Kitchen to become Wendy’s Fist Kitchen, so I’m no longer sure which sub-heading they fall under.  Shake Shack are fairly recent movers and, err, shakers on the Japan fast food scene.  At the time of writing there were three branches in Japan, all in Tokyo.  We detail how much some of classics at these fast food chains cost here in Japan.

To read more, go here. 

Latest Blog Post Pick-ups

The fine folks at The Japan Daily picked up three of yesterday's blog posts for sharing with their readers.

They are:

To read The Japan Daily, go here.

Japan's Kentucky Fried Christmas

It is that time of the year where Christmas cheer is spread throughout the world (well, almost). This also includes the Land of the Rising Sun.

Japan has a Christian population of about one percent, yet there are Christmas decorations in shopping centers, department stores and almost everywhere else.

To celebrate Christmas, the Japanese have adopted the custom of getting their Christmas meals at the local Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). This happened almost by accident. An expat in Japan went to a KFC and mentioned that since there's no turkeys in Japan, chicken would be the next best thing for a Christmas meal. This was overheard by the store's manager, who then passed it on to the company's higher-ups.

This led to a clever marketing strategy begun in 1974. Now Kentucky Fried Chicken and Christmas in Japan are virtually synonymous.

According to an article in The Diplomat:

Have you ever noticed that Colonel Sanders, the white-haired founder and mascot of American fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), bears a vague resemblance to Santa Claus? Probably not, and in fact you might never draw the connection without visiting Japan. 

Around this time of year, KFC outlets across the country dress their ubiquitous store-front Colonel Sanders statues in red and white Santa costumes in preparation for the restaurant’s busiest time of year. In the Land of the Rising Sun, where a mere one percent of the population practices Christianity, Christmas equals Kentucky.

 To read about how KFC and Christmas became conjoined in Japan, go here.

Scotty and The Colonel

Last July, Scotty Irving was in Japan with The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. He shared a photo this morning from that trip:

Scotty wrote: "MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY FRIENDS IN JAPAN! ENJOY YOUR KFC!!! Here is a picture of me asking Colonel Sanders for directions with the Armand Vaquer book 'The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan' in Tokyo this past July during the Clang Quartet tour. My vegetarian wife looks on in pseudo horror!"

Wondering what KFC has to do with Christmas in Japan? Go here to find out.

The True Meaning of Japanese Christmas

Above, the Wako Department Store in Ginza adorned in Christmas lighting. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For a country that only has a 1 or 2% Christian population (depending on who collected the data), Japan isn't a slouch in putting up Christmas decorations in shopping districts and elsewhere.

RocketNews24 has an interesting article on "The True Meaning of Japanese Christmas." The meaning of Christmas to the Japanese is sure different than what Christian nations are accustomed to.

They begin with:

It’s December again in Japan, and that means that Christmas trees are sprouting up outside store fronts while festive advertisements of cakes adorn the trains and convenience stores across the land. The usual mercilessly repetitive jingles that fill department stores and supermarkets are replaced with mercilessly repetitive carols for this one special month. 

However, not everyone can share in the festive joy of a Japanese Christmas filled with hallowed traditions such as fried chicken and bowling. Christmas in Japan is also a day for lovers, and as of 2011 it was estimated that over 60% of young men and women would be single for the holidays and that number certainly hasn’t appeared to have changed recently. 

All this lonesomeness and misery brought about annually begs the question: “Who the hell made Christmas a romantic holiday in Japan anyway?!” RocketNews24 Japan investigated.

Looks like the way to celebrate Christmas in Japan is to get your favorite girl (or man, if you are a woman) and head off to the local love hotel with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, perhaps? Or, go bowling.

To read the full article, go here.

Cluck For Your Buck: JAL Serving Kentucky Fried Chicken On Some Flights

Starting today, some international flights of Japan Airlines will be serving Kentucky Fried Chicken meals, according to Kyodo News.  These will be served until February 28 to destinations from Narita International Airport to New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and others.

Kyodo News wrote:

The dish consisting of chicken with bones, chicken fillet, bread and coleslaw was jointly produced by JAL and Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan Ltd. to provide easy-to-eat meals for passengers on flights, the air carrier said.

Passengers in premium economy and economy will be served the meals.

Kentucky Fried Chicken is one of the most popular American fast food imports in Japan.  Typically, a statue of Col. Harlan Sanders stands in front of Japanese KFC stores like the one above.

Cluck for your travel buck?