McDonalds is a fast food chain with branches in over 116 countries. The first restaurant was opened in San Bernardino in 1940 gradually expanding throughout the United States and abroad. McDonald's set up shop in Asia in 1971, beginning with Japan. In 2004, there were 3,598 McDonald’s restaurants in Japan making it one of the most successful restaurants in Japan. This is despite it being an American franchise. Experts have often wondered about this in light of the fact that McDonald’s menu differs greatly with typical Japanese cuisine. The Japanese rarely partake of meat and bread enjoying a staple of rice and sea fish. So why is this?
The simplest and most plausible of reasons is globalization. Fast food culture is not foreign to Japan. There have always been vendors selling rice, noodles or sea fish. However, what is fundamentally different about McDonald’s is the fact that it has challenged Japanese eating traditions. The Japanese rarely eat individually with most meals being communal. Families eats from the same central plate of rice while seated thus communing after a long day. On the other hand, it is quite difficult to share burgers with everyone ordering their individual ones according to taste preferences. Coupled with the fact that meals at McDonald’s are eaten while standing or on stools by counters, it is increasingly becoming difficult for families to sit around one table. Moreover, the Japanese consider eating with one’s fingers quite distasteful preferring chopsticks but it is quite impossible to eat burgers and fries with chopsticks. These practices though alien have become more acceptable and commonplace especially among the younger generations. It is interesting however to observe that some families place a plate of fries in the middle which is then shared while burgers are passed round with individual bites being taken. McDonald’s has however tried to incorporate the local culture into the menu with teriyaki burgers, rice burgers and green tea ice cream. This fusion of American and Japanese culture has contributed immensely to McDonald’s growth in Japan. This in spite of the fact that McDonald’s is still considered a snack because of the ubiquity of bread in their menu.
The latest WHO life expectancy data published in April 2011 has some very most interesting information about the top 20 causes of death in Japan. The second greatest cause of death in Japan is coronary heart disease. Other causes in the list include colon-rectum cancer, breast cancer, diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer. The common thread in all these causes is that they are all attributable to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle though not exclusively. A correlation has been pointed out between the competitive nature in Japanese professional circles that is increasingly forcing the younger generations to take out unhealthy fast food after work and all these causes. McDonald’s may not be solely responsible for this sorry situation but it has contributed greatly being the largest fast food chain in Japan. Japan’s birthrate has been dropping steadily over the past few years. The correlation between this and sexual dysfunction due to poor diet is worth exploring.
There is no denying that McDonald’s has greatly influenced Japanese mindset both psychologically and sociologically. The younger generation are now indulging more in fast food than in the traditional staple rice. The effects of these on the health of the Japanese population are now being uncovered.
Works Cited
Chalabi, Mona and John Burn-Murdoch. McDonald's 34,492 restaurants: where are they? 17 July 2013. <http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jul/17/mcdonalds-restaurants-where-are-they>.
japan.org. THE MCDONALD'S EFFECT: Fast-Food Giant Triggers a Price-Cutting Wave. 12 August 2002. <http://web-japan.org/trends01/article/010820bus.html>.
John, Traphagan W. "Fast food and intergenerational commensality in Japan: New styles and old patterns." Ethnology (2002): 119-134.
Koeste, Manya. From Big Mac to Rice Burger - Globalization: McDonalds in Japan. 8 December 2013. <http://www.manyakoetse.com/from-big-mac-to-rice-burger-globalization-mcdonalds-in-japan/>.
worldlifeexpectancy.com. Japan: Life Expectancy. 2013. <http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/japan-life-expectancy>.
