A British tourist decided to eat at McDonald’s while visiting Japan, and while she was blown away by all the differences on the menu, the biggest surprise to her was something else entirely
A tourist who visited a McDonald’s restaurant in Japan was left gobsmacked by the differences to the ones in the UK. The fast food giant operates in over 100 countries, with over 38,000 locations. In each country they have subtle differences to reflect different tastes and local traditions, but in Japan it wasn’t the menu that was the biggest surprise to the tourist.
Travel content creator Jessica Jayne Turner has recently been sharing unique insights into her trip to Japan. In one of her recent TikTok clips, Jessica shared what is was like to eat at the fast food chain in Tokyo, Japan, which she said was on a completely “different level”. Taking a look at the self service machine, she showed there were quite a few items she’d never seen before. These included the Bai Shrimp File-O, Bai Teriyaki Chicken Filet-O and a Cheese and Bacon Potato Pie.
Maccies fans can also order Edamame & Corn as a side, as well as Shaka-Chicki and Garlic & Cheese Sauce. Jessica decided to try some of the “unique” things, and her order came to about £14.42.
First she tried the Edamame & Corn, which she was surprised to see on the menu as it seems “healthy”. “It actually tastes pretty good but it just feels so strange to eat it at McDonald’s. [I’m] not actually sure how I feel about it,” Jessica continued.
Next, Jessica tried the Shaka Chicken which she said was “basically like a giant chicken nugget”. She explained that they give you a sachet of Cheddar Cheese to sprinkle over it, and then you shake it. “It basically turns into a cheesy chicken nugget. It’s nice and crispy but I’m going to be honest, the cheese does taste a bit artificial.” Jessica said the barbecue sauce was “amazing” and the mustard sauce “tasted great”.
Then, she tried the Cheese and Bacon Potato Pie, which she said looks similar to the Apple Pies in the UK. “The inside of this tastes identical to a chicken pie. I love the flavour. This is probably one of my favourite things that I got,” she added.
The content creator also got some standard chicken nuggets, which she admitted tasted similar to the UK, but she “loved” the sauces you could get with them – barbecue and mustard sauce.
After also eating some of a Big Mac, which she ordered in case she didn’t like the other things she ordered, Jessica finished the meal off with a McFlurry. The one she ordered was “smothered” in strawberries and chocolate, and they didn’t “skimp on the toppings”.
Jessica also admitted that it wasn’t the menu that surprised her most about the McDonald’s restaurants in Japan – was “how clean” the restaurants were. “The kitchen actually looks spotless,” she added.
And Jessica isn’t the only one to notice this. Posting to the Destination Japan Facebook group, one tourist said: “What stood out even more to me was their attention to hygiene. While I obviously don’t know what happens behind the scenes in the kitchen, the way they handle food and maintain cleanliness during serving is very noticeable. Everything from the counters to the packaging felt clean and well-managed, which make the overall experience even better.”
