Reminders of Home!

We always get excited when we see a place that reminds us of home. Here are the places we've seen in Japan that we also have in America!
McDonald's: There is a McDonald's a couple of miles away from our apartment. We often go here when we get sick of Japanese food and need a taste from home. It's almost just like the McDonald's we're used to but with a Japanese twist!

The menu is a little different. This is a picture of the shrimp burger that's only in Japan.

Also, throwing away your trash is very confusing if you're not used to the 4 different compartments to throw away your trash...you have to separate the plastics (straws & lids), pour your extra ice and drink in a hole, put your combustibles (paper items) in another bin, and if you smoke then you pour your ashes in a hole and set your ashtray in a bin (smoking is still aloud in restaurants here.)


Denny's: We recently ate breakfast at Denny's for the first time. They have both Western and Japanese breakfasts to choose from. We ordered a Western style: scrambled eggs- Japanese people like them runny, toast- bread is very thick here, which makes for good toast, sausage- which is actually a small hot dog, bacon- same, salad- breakfasts in Japan always include a small garden salad...which is strange for us! We also had coffee that had unlimited refills...something VERY rare in Japan. The Japanese style breakfasts include white rice with a raw egg to mix in the rice, miso soup, salad, and fish. Sounds appetising, huh?


KFC: Unfortunately, they don't have mashed potatoes here (which is the best part of KFC). The chicken tastes the same, but it's pretty expensive...around 1,000 Yen for a value meal ($8.30). We weren't here for Christmas day, but supposedly most Japanese people go to KFC for a bucket of chicken.






Starbucks: Our true love in Japan is Starbucks. Whenever we have the chance, we always stop in and get a coffee. It is almost exactly what we're used to. The menu is in both English and Japanese. The only difference is that they serve green tea and green tea frappachinos here. We've actually began a collection of Starbucks travel mugs from all the different cities and countries we've visited in Asia!


Other Restaurants: Subway, Outback, Baskin Robbins, Pizza Hut, and Domino's
Shopping: All the major fashion designers (Louis Vuitton, Coach, etc.)
Gap/Gap Kids, Virgin Records, The Body Shop, Claire's, Sports Authority, and Toys-R-Us

Gas Stations/
Convenience Stores:
Gas stations are always separate here from convenience stores. The gas stations here are much different than in America. 90% of the time they are full service stations, so someone is always waiting to pump your gas for you. Also, the pumps often come from the ceiling (as seen in the picture). When you pull up to the gas station, someone will come to your window and give you a damp towel for you to wipe down the inside of your car. While you're waiting, they also clean your windshield and side mirrors. Gas is expensive here...about $5 a gallon!
Gas Stations: Shell and Citgo
Convenience Stores: 711 and Circle K
Amusement Parks: Disney's Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios