Globalization in Japan

For this post I decided to take up the issue of coffee/coffee shops in Japan. Although I am aware that there are many other (possibly more interesting) forms of globalization at work in Japan, I am particularly drawn to coffee shops and fast food restaurants. The first picture was taken on the very first day that I came to the Kansai Gaidai campus. I was SO surprised to find a Seattle's Best Coffee in Japan, let alone on campus! I was particularly excited because I worked a part time job at Seattle's Best the summer right before I came to Japan, so everything about the job was still fresh in my mind. When I came here, I was thinking "Great, I finally get to leave everything that I know behind and experience something completely new...." 

Low and behold, somethings didn't change a bit. In fact, I went inside the Seattle's Best on campus expecting to maybe find some variation in the menu at least, but no. It was exactly the same as what I had been selling just a couple of weeks before. The only difference I could see was in the point card that they give out for free, and it was only different because it was written in Japanese. I was pretty disappointed. 

Furthermore, the fact that there is a McDonald's RIGHT next door to Seattle's Best (this particular picture was taken in Tokyo) didn't make me feel much better. In fact, I remember feeling a bit sick to my stomach to think that greasy, unhealthy American fast-food had managed to slither into Japanese society with no problem. And I won't even begin to talk about Starbucks, mostly because everyone knows that Starbucks is (like McDonald's) a multi-national corporation with stores all over the world. Therefore, it's not surprising to see these two particular companies thriving in a developed country like Japan. Still, something feels wrong to me about this situation... so totally wrong. It is not only that I am vegetarian and so DESPISE places like McDonald's (McDeath as I like to call it), but also because this phenomenon says something about the scale of the world markets and the necessity of countries that slightly behind the United States in terms of GDP to import and adopt things like McDonald's and Starbucks. 

At least the portions at McDonald's are not as out of control as they are in the United States, and even the menus are different. Thats about the only positive thing I can say about this situation; the Japanese can get their fill of greasy food, but maybe postpone the on-set of diabetes just a little...