Does Carl’s Jr. have what it takes to survive the grand-opening frenzy that every American fast food chain enjoys in Japan? We wait in line four hours to find out.
grand opening
The Harajuku/Omotesando district in Tokyo is already a mecca of sweet shops from around the world, but things in the area just got even sweeter this past weekend as another internationally loved bakery opened its very first shop in Japan. Yes, we’re delighted that London’s celebrated LOLA’S cupcakes now has a shop in Tokyo, and as you may have guessed, we weren’t about to miss out on trying the sweet creations from one of London’s best-loved baking outlets, so there we were on opening day.
We already knew from the pictures that their cupcakes look simply amazing; now we couldn’t wait to try some for ourselves, and there were even going to be four original Japanese flavors too — Yum!
While you can certainly find countless restaurants offering a seemingly endless range of cuisines in Japan, if you’ve spent some time in the country, you may have noticed that options for Mexican food (or at least American-Mexican food) can be somewhat limited. So when news went around that American fast food chain Taco Bell was going to re-open in Japan, the response on the Japanese Internet was huge. And while we understand that not everyone is a fan of Taco Bell, there certainly seemed to be enough people overjoyed that the chain was finally returning to Japan after having opened shop here once for just a short time in the 1980s.
All of this meant that the opening of the new Taco Bell shop in Shibuya, Tokyo was bound to attract lots of attention as well as a good crowd, and not to miss out on the excitement and tacos, our very own Mr. Sato from the Japanese arm of RocketNews24 was there on opening day to bring you the following report!
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Mysterious light-up rainy night-sound Totoro figure doesn’t actually show a scene from the anime
Over 800 Studio Ghibli anime world paintings compiled in beautiful new hardcover art book【Pics】
Japan’s tap-to-pay Suica train card system aims to go tapless with walk-through gates, location data scans
Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke plushies show a softer side of formidable Ghibli characters
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Possessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
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J-pop mega star Ado reveals she’s been living in the U.S., may not understand language acquisition
Starbucks Japan is calling it quits with paper straws
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Japan’s most popular castle raising ticket prices by up to 200 percent for non-local tourists
Furikake rice seasoning sales are soaring, which is bad news for Japan as a whole
Studio Ghibli heroine cardigans give you warmth and strength to face everyday challenges
Eight unforgettable hot springs, as recommended by Japan’s “Professor Bath”
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McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
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[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
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Major Japanese city is abolishing extracurricular activities at all of its middle schools
Studio Ghibli showcases traditional craftsmanship with new wallet range
Dove ad slams Japanese beauty ideals, backfires with complaints from public instead
Toast with fermented soybeans and honey may not be good-looking, but it is good eating
Japanese balloon jellies, or “Tengu’s Treasure”, are a very unique souvenir
Studio Ghibli and Uniqlo team up for line of beautiful T-shirts and bags, but not in Japan【Pics】
Giant Clodsire Pokémon plushie comes with up to 32 Woopers in super size, super cute set【Pics】
Japanese Twitter user stumbles across legendary deep-sea fish, cooks and eats it four different ways
Clever design trick means beautiful Ghibli Artboard Jigsaw Puzzles won’t have bittersweet ending
Studio Ghibli releases new action figures featuring Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind characters
Eight-year-old boy gets stopped at the airport for a suspicious bulge in his pants
One of Japan’s rarest sweets is a sell-out hit that looks and tastes like frost
Out-of-business Tokyo McDonald’s gets brutal but kind sendoff from rival Burger King branch
Chicken McNugget rice cooker rice — Can it beat KFC rice cooker rice?【SoraKitchen】
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