Twentythree

McWhoNow? I’ll take the 40 mil.

Burger King has been on quite the tear in Japan recently. Their explosive post-pandemic expansion saw them grow from 77 locations to 352, with a target of 600 by 2028. These ambitions caught the attention of Goldman Sachs, who purchased the Japanese chain for 78.5 billion yen (US$493M), and provided them with even more financial backing to grow rapidly.

Burger King is certainly holding up their end of the deal by launching quite possibly the most aggressive expansion campaign not only in Japan, but anywhere. They have publicly announced that they will offer up to 40 million yen ($250,000) cash to any franchise owner of a rival chain, such as McDonald’s or Mos Burger, that has been in business for at least three years and is willing to convert their restaurants to Burger Kings.

▼ Perks include a faster return on investment and charbroiled, 100-percent beef patties.

In addition, Burger King will cover half of the initial investment to make the switch and says that their average location pulls in about 17 million yen a month. This makes a very clear statement to franchise owners that if their income is south of that, then it’s probably time for a change. The change can take place anytime before December 2028, giving franchisees a little wiggle room to get out of their current contract without having to pay a penalty fee.

If Burger King gets a good response, this could be a key step in their projected growth since poaching other restaurants significantly cuts down on construction time, and every restaurant converted amounts to one less competitor out there.

Of course, this kind of tactic in general is not unheard of, but doing it on such a large and open scale is rare to say the least. And I’m feeling 100-percent sure no one has ever made a commercial with a jingle about it in the history of the fast food industry.

▼ The song explains that if you change your car or favorite idol, you don’t get anything for it. But if you change your restaurant, you can get 40 million yen.

If this campaign is successful, Burger King stands to win big, but that is a considerable-sized “if” in Japan. Even in the U.S., these kinds of conversion deals are usually done behind the scenes, possibly through direct connections made at industry conventions rather than flashy campaigns on social media. It’s probably fair to assume Japan is even more conservative about these matters, if the various corporate apologies for 10-yen price increases or being 20 seconds early are anything to go by.

You might be thinking franchisees are getting all the sweet deals from Burger King, but there are also chances for everyday folks like you and me to cash in as well. The chain offers periodic location scouting campaigns where anyone can submit places they think would work well as a Burger King. Any suggestion that results in Burger King leasing a property will win 300,000 yen ($1,900) cash, and just making a suggestion will earn you a coupon for a discount on a Whopper.

▼ They have a commercial for this too, but no jingle.

This campaign is currently not going on, but they do seem to bring it back every few months, so now would be a good time to start scouting your neighborhood to see where a Burger King might look nice. Meanwhile, if you’re a restaurant franchisee, you’ll have until 30 September to apply to make yourself a burger king, burger queen, or maybe even just a hungry jack.

Source: PR Times 1, 2
Images: PR Times
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Skip the guilt of camping at a coffee shop and work for hours at this staffless oasis.

While cafes are fantastic places to call in on your day off for a light meal while you’re doing your errands, many people also like to use them as a “remote office” or study location, often spending many hours sitting at a table. Ordinarily this doesn’t pose much of a problem, but in the larger cities, with a lot more foot traffic, the sense of guilt of occupying a table for so long can get a little too much when you see person after person coming in, forming a snaking line as they wait for a free table while you enjoy your fifth coffee of the day. That’s to say nothing of the rising prices of both food and drink at cafes and restaurants, which can make your wallet feel the pinch if you’re just looking for a calm environment in which to work.

The company Wood Design Park, known for handling glamping and barbecue sites, have come up with their own solution to this issue by opening up an unmanned cafe, known as Self Cafe, in 2022.

Now, four years later, there are approximately 60 stores nationwide, with four of them being in Tokyo—the latest of which is the Shibuya Jinnan branch.

Arriving outside of the Shibuya Jinnan store, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little confused when you’re confronted with a very ordinary office building. The only giveaway that there’s a cafe there at all is the sign at the entrance saying, “unmanned cafe equipped with Wi-Fi and power outlets.”

Descending to the basement via the elevator, you’ll come across the shop, but knowing that there are no staff on the other side of the door to welcome you can make you hesitate and feel unsure of whether you’re actually allowed to be there or not. There’s even a facial recognition system at the entrance, presumably to prevent people from taking advantage of the system, but it just adds to the sense of unease. At least you don’t have to go through any registration process.

Stepping through the door and into the cafe though, the atmosphere immediately changes from the feeling of heavy security to a wide, open space where the ceilings are high and the lighting bright.

The method to use the cafe is relatively simple: buy a drink, which starts from 420 yen (US$2.64), from the vending machine, and you can stay for as many hours as you like.

According to the official website, there are also shops that are open 24 hours, at which you can stay for a maximum of 24 hours. If you want to stay longer, you simply purchase another drink, but you must be nearing the deadline of the century if you want to stay that long, since these shops are not intended as a comfortable lodging facility.

They even sell Lady Borden ice cream next to the vending machine, but just purchasing ice cream alone does not grant permission to use the seating, so be sure to pick up a drink as well.

Another few factors to take into consideration are that payments are cashless only, you are not allowed to bring in any food or drink from outside, you can’t be away from your seat or leave your belongings for a long time, and that this branch in particular is located in the basement, so some mobile carriers might have some connectivity issues, in which case you can just use the shop’s Wi-Fi.

Each table is fully equipped with power outlets and USB ports, much like a typical internet cafe.

However, what is particularly thoughtful is that there are wireless chargers embedded into the desks, so you can charge your smartphone just by placing it down, without having to fiddle around with cables.

Sitting in this space, you can concentrate freely, without having to worry about imposing on the business of a cafe or restaurant. If you’re prone to getting easily distracted at home, this place is likely to be very helpful to you.

If you happen to come with someone, it’s perfectly fine to have a conversation, as long as you keep it within a range that does not bother others surrounding you.

For being a place where you can comfortably spend several hours for just 420 yen, it feels like the deal is too good to be true. It’s an intriguing experience, so if you are tired from walking around Shibuya or you just want to focus deeply on your work, go ahead and give this place a try.

Cafe information
Self Cafe Shibuya Jinnan-ten / セルフカフェ 渋谷神南店
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jinnan 1-19-14, Crystal Point B2-kai
東京都渋谷区神南1-19-14 クリスタルポイントB2階
Open: 6:00 a.m.–2:00 a.m.
Website

Related: Self Cafe, Wood Design Park
Photos ©SoraNews24
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The apology may have taken longer than the delay.

Enough has been said about the extreme punctuality of trains in Japan that it’s become as famous a cultural feature as sushi or decorative manhole lids. It’s so much a part of life here that people rely on its precise, to-the-minute accuracy, and even a slight deviation can throw someone’s itinerary completely off.

That is why JR East’s Aomori division had to issue a public apology for a three-minute delay due to a conductor not waking up from her nap on time.

▼ Naps can improve cognitive functions and boost work performance, but there are pitfalls such as sleeping too long, or sleeping on your laptop’s trackpad, that can negate these benefits.

According to JR East, a Hayabusa 24 on the Tohoku Shinkansen was set to depart at 1:52 p.m. from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station bound for Tokyo. A short while earlier, the conductor in question was taking a nap in the employee break room. She had set an alarm to catch her train but slept through it, eventually waking up around 1:50 p.m. and missing her appointed time by a few minutes.

Although there was no word of any actual complaints, JR East said, “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers. We will strive to prevent this from happening again.”

Readers of the news online had mixed reactions. Many felt this was a complete non-issue and there was no need for an apology, let alone a report by a major Japanese news agency. Others disagreed and felt letting something like this slide is a slippery slope to behavior that can endanger people’s lives.

“JR East makes the national news for a three-minute delay due to oversleeping.”
“Just give her a stern warning and move on without making a big deal of it.”
“The Shinkansen won’t wait for a passenger who’s three minutes late, but for a conductor it’s OK?”
“Napping is a good way to increase work performance. They shouldn’t be too hard on her.”
“That’s forgivable. Everyone’s working hard, and delays happen sometimes.”
“I noticed JR East employees have a really lax attitude these days.”
“A lot of people say this isn’t a big deal, but if we tolerate these small lapses in attention, it will eventually lead to larger ones.”
“If you allow three minutes, then where do you draw the line? Is five minutes still OK? 10? Any delay should be treated equally.”
“It’s kind of impressive she overslept and was only three minutes late.”
“That’s just long enough to make instant ramen.”
“A Hayabusa train can easily make up the lost time, lol.”
“I thought they used those inflatable pillow alarms.”

A few years ago, JR East also made the news for their unique choice in alarm clock. A timer controls an air pump connected to an inflatable bladder by a hose. When the alarm goes off, the bladder, which is placed under the head or back of the sleeper, swells up and lifts the person out of bed.

It sounds like this employee just had her head on a break room table rather than sleeping in a full bed, though, so it probably wasn’t an option in this case. Nevertheless, with no one injured or outrageously inconvenienced by this delay, life will go on. Just be thankful you don’t have a job where being late makes headlines.

Source: Kyodo, Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso
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The results of this taste test are truly baffling. 

If you’re walking around town with a hankering for burgers and a big appetite to fill, Burger King is usually one of the top options. Not only does this chain serve good-sized burgers but it also offers limited-time all-you-can-eat specials, and now there’s a new way to get more burger for your yen, with a customisation called “All Heavy”.

This upsize option, which lets you request extra lettuce, onions, pickles, ketchup, and mayonnaise at no extra cost, sounded like it might be too good to be true. So we placed an order for it as part of a Whopper Set through the app and then ducked out to our nearest branch in Shinjuku to pick it up for a taste test.

▼ To upsize the burger, simply scroll to the bottom and click the “Heavy” drop down menu…

…then select the individual items you’d like extra of (the options are lettuce, onion, pickles, ketchup and mayonnaise), or click the “All Heavy” box to select them all.

In addition to ordering the All Heavy version, we also ordered a regular Whopper so we could compare them.

▼ Regular on the left, All Heavy on the right.

Checking the receipt, both versions do actually cost the same: 640 yen (US$4.03) each.

Unwrapping them, we were surprised to see that visually, they didn’t look that different.

▼ Regular Whopper on the left, All Heavy version on the right.

Lifting the top bun for a closer look, we could see that the regular version already had a good amount of lettuce, onions and mayonnaise inside.

Lifting the top bun of the All Heavy revealed…

▼ …huh?

This was not what we were expecting. The contents looked almost identical to the regular, and if anything perhaps there seemed to be even less inside. To be sure we weren’t imagining things, we peeled all the lettuce off the top buns and placed them on their corresponding burger patty bun for a more precise comparison.

▼ Again, the regular on the left looked to have more lettuce and onions than the upsized version on the right.

Puzzled by what we were seeing, we began to wonder if maybe the staff had made a mistake and put the “All Heavy” sticker on the wrong burger. Figuring there was one way to get to the bottom of things, we decided to place each burger on the scales to see what would be revealed.

▼ Placing the regular one on the kitchen scale, it weighed 281 grams (9.9 ounces).

Next, the All Heavy, which weighed in at…

▼ … 267 grams!

This 14-gram discrepancy made us think the staff really had made a mistake with the labels. Still, holding out hope that we might’ve overlooked something, we decided to separate all the components for a final, thorough inspection.

▼ Regular on the left, All Heavy on the right.

This revealed that the All Heavy actually contained more of some ingredients – although the lettuce was sorely lacking, it had more onion rings and more pickles.

With six pickles on the All Heavy and four on the regular Whopper, it was clear that the staff hadn’t made a mistake with our order.

Baffled by this result, we were now more confused than ever over the new All Heavy customisation. Despite containing more pickles and more lettuce, it weighed less than a regular Whopper and didn’t seem all that more plentiful.

So is it good value for money? Well, the difference in ingredients wasn’t that great, so the “All Heavy” moniker may not be all it’s cracked up to be. In these days of rising prices, though, you can’t go wrong with a free deal, so if you’re a fan of pickles and onion, we’d recommend giving it a try. Otherwise, stick to the regular Whopper, or if you’re hungry, smash two of them together for a truly heavy meal.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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Japanese convenience store chain serves up two green tea drinks for a limited time.

7-Eleven struck gold when it launched an exclusive line of smoothies at its stores around Japan in 2023. The freshly made drinks quickly became a hit with local customers and those visiting from overseas, spawning new flavours like Acai, Banana, and even Sweet Potato.

Amongst all these flavours, however, there was one that was particularly popular, but it was a blink-and-you’ll miss it release. Only available for a very short time in October last year, and at the pop-up 7-Eleven store at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, this smoothie flew off shelves and disappeared shortly after, leaving fans longing for its return.

Well, 7-Eleven has heard the cry and is now bringing that smoothie back, this time in two variations:

▼ The Uji Matcha Smoothie (420 yen [US$2.64])…

▼ …and the Fragrant Matcha Smoothie (420 yen).

Both new drinks have over a century of expertise behind them, as the Uji Matcha Smoothie uses powdered green tea from Kitagawa Hanbei Shoten, a tea wholesaler in Kyoto that was established 165 years ago, in 1861.

▼ Kitagawa Hanbei’s logo appears on the packaging for the new smoothie.

The Fragrant Matcha Smoothie is made with matcha from Marushichi Seicha, a tea merchant in Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, that was founded in 1907.

▼ Marushichi’s famous “七” (“shichi” [“seven”]) logo appears on the smoothie packaging.

Both smoothies boast a visually vibrant green colour and are said to contain a rich flavour and elegant aroma. Like all of 7-Eleven’s cafe smoothies, these too will be sold in the freezer section in pre-made form, with cubes filling each cup.

Simply take the cup to the register and pay for it, and then take it over to the smoothie machine on the counter, where you’ll scan the barcode and then pop it into the machine, which will whip it up fresh for you on the spot.

The only downside to these new drinks is their limited availability, as they’ll only be around in set areas from certain dates. The Uji Matcha Smoothie will be available in Fukushima Prefecture and the Kanto region (in and around Tokyo) from 21 April, then Hokkaido, Tohoku (excluding Fukushima Prefecture), Niigata Prefecture, and parts of Tokai from 28 April, followed by Kyushu from 5 May and Kansai (which covers Osaka, Kyoto and surrounding prefectures), Chugoku/Shikoku, and Okinawa Prefecture from 12 May.

As for the Fragrant Matcha Smoothie, it will be available in a much more limited area, coming to stores in parts of Nagano Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the Tokai and Hokuriku regions from 28 April. Only stores equipped with smoothie machines will be stocking the new drinks, so it may require a bit of effort to get your hands on them, but as we discovered with the recent five-Frappuccino release from Starbucks, treasure hunts are as much about the journey as the gold you find at the end of them.

Source, images: Press release
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Sip your coffee to the backdrop of a magnificent, panoramic view next to this Starbucks in Toyama Prefecture.

Starbucks Japan will often go to great lengths in designing its branches to blend in with the local atmosphere. We’ve previously visited one such branch that is often said to be the most beautiful Starbucks in the world, which also underwent renovations not quite six years ago. That location is the one within Toyama City’s Fugan Unga Kansui Koen, called Kansui Park by the locals.

We were in the area and decided to pay the branch another visit, as it’s only a ten-minute walk from Toyama Station. This particular spring day still had a lingering chill in the clear air, but we breathed it in deeply as we strolled to our destination. Luckily, the walk was very straightforward, without any fear of getting lost.

When we reached the park, it took a moment to accept that this natural oasis was in the middle of the city. The canal itself was also wider than we thought.

We quickly located the Starbucks in the spacious park grounds. As it’s its own little building, we could quickly tell why it previously won the top prize in a Store Design Award. The exterior was simple and sleek, with gorgeous full-length glass walls that let in plenty of sunlight. It also looked absolutely natural perched on its little hill by the canal.

While the interior of the shop wasn’t incredibly spacious, the glass walls lent an extra sense of freedom. We looked around for a spot to sit down once we got our drink, but all of the seats inside were full, so we headed to the outdoor terrace instead. However, that actually turned out to be the best choice we could have made. We were able to sit right in front of the water with an unparalleled view of Tenmon Bridge, the main symbol of the park.

Gazing out at the view, it struck us how peaceful this spot must be regardless of the weather. Even a cloudy, damp day like this one had its own relaxed charm, and we were able to enjoy being outside for longer than we would have if the sun were beating down. Even the coffee seemed to taste extra special as a result.

After a while, however, we got up to scope out a vantage point that the cashier had recommended to us about where to take in the best, sweeping views of the park. That recommendation was to climb up the observation towers on either side of Tenmon Bridge, pictured in the previous photo, all of which are free.

Upon reaching the top of one of them, we had no choice but to agree. Not only was the Starbucks building itself right in front of us, but we could even see the Tateyama Mountains in the background!

All we could think was that the locals are super lucky to have such an amazing Starbucks branch easily accessible to them at any time–and we were grateful to them for sharing a helpful tip with us.

Speaking of the Tateyama Mountains, you can enjoy more of the local scenery by taking the Tateyama Kurobe Alpen Route through some towering ice corridors.

Cafe information
Starbucks Toyama Fugan Unga Kansui Park / スターバックス富山環水公園店
Address: Toyama-ken, Toyama-shi, Minatoirifune-cho 5
富山県富山市湊入船町 5
Open 8:00 a.m.–10:30 p.m.
Website

All images © SoraNews24
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Anime will premier this summer and is the first made specifically for the Nagoya-area theme park.

If you’re planning a trip to Ghibli Park, the Studio Ghibli anime theme park near Nagoya, before you reserve your tickets you’ll want to check the schedule of the park’s Cinema Orion. Located within the Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse section of the park, Cinema Orion shows short anime films produced by Studio Ghibli that can only be seen at Ghibli Park or Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum.

Right now, for example, Boro the Caterpillar, directed by Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, is showing, and from June 1 to July 6 visitors can see Mei and the Baby Cat Bus, the follow-up to My Neighbor Totoro.

But while both of those shorts are definitely appealing, it’s what’s coming after Mei and the Baby Cat Bus that’s really exciting, with the premier of the first new Ghibli short anime since 2018.

Majo no Tani no Yoru, or A Night in the Valley of the Witches, is the first Ghibli short anime produced specifically for Ghibli Park, and its story is set within the park’s Valley of Witches area, which opened in 2024 with recreations of the worlds of Kiki’s Deliver Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Earwig and the Witch. The anime will be co-directed by Goro Miyazaki and Akihiko Yamashita, who served as character designer and animation director for Howl’s Moving Castle and The Secret World of Arrietty, and also directed A Sumo Wrestler’s Tail, Ghibli’s short anime about sumo wrestling mice. The pair will be in attendance for a special screening on July 8, when A Night in the Valley of the Witches makes its debut.

The anime’s production is already finished, so that debut date is presumably set in stone, but Ghibli Park has yet to announce how long the short will run for. There’s also currently no word of whether or not it will eventually screen at Ghibli Museum as well.

Admission to Ghibli Park is available only through advance reservations, and tickets for July visits go on sale at 2 p.m. on May 10. Different categories of tickets include access to different parts of the park, but remember that even though the new anime takes place in the Valley of the Witches, you’ll need a ticket that includes admission to Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse in order to see it.

Related: Ghibli Park official website
Source: Studio Ghibli, Ghibli Park (1, 2)
Top image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: Ghibli Park, Studio Ghibli
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