In this travel and food article, we share our favourite fast food chains in Japan to tempt your tastebuds for your next trip.
Japan is universally known for its good food. Sushi, ramen soup, udon noodles, tempura, teppanyaki, and izakaya are some of the fabulous choices available.
A common problem when travelling to any country where you don’t speak the language is ordering food. At many sit-down restaurants, the servers often don’t speak English, and there is no English menu available. Plus, you don’t really know what you are ordering if you use a translator app.
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We’ve been surprised so many times by the dish served to us. Sometimes, it’s a good surprise, but sometimes, it’s not.
Sometimes, life is just easier if you eat at a chain restaurant.
Now, I’m not suggesting you spend your entire time in a foreign country eating at KFC, Subway, MacDonald’s, or Burger King (although you should check them out to see what local offerings they have available).
Read the article: McDonald’s Taro Pie – Memory Monday
The reason we occasionally frequent chain restaurants when we travel around the world:
- Menus typically have lots of photos, so it’s easy to order.
- Menus have an English version or a QR code to view an online English version.
- The restaurant/menu is consistent between one city and another.
- Budget-friendly and affordable.
- Extended opening hours.
- Some restaurants have allergen information readily available.
- You’ll find primarily locals eating here.
Fast Food Chains in Japan Table of Contents
Here is our go-to list of Fast Food Chain Restaurants in Japan
Yoshinoya
Our tradition is visiting Yoshinoya for our first meal in Japan. Not because it’s fabulous food but because it’s tasty, reliable, cheap, and open late (some 24 hours), and there seems to be one everywhere you look in Tokyo. After a long flight, we don’t want to search or think about where/what we will eat; we need to find something comforting to fill our belly and then get back to our hotel for a nap.
My go-to dish is a bowl of thinly sliced beef sautéed with onions on rice for 450¥ – around $3US or $4CDN.
Ray loves the chicken sautéed with onions and lightly scrambled egg on rice for 547¥ – around $3.50US or $5CDN.
I splurged one evening because I was starving and decided to try the broiled eel rice box set with small beef for 1,579 ¥, ($10US or $14CDN) which was delicious. Conveniently, there is Yashinoya at Tokyo’s Narita airport now, too!
Matsuya
I’m not sure if Matsuya is a direct competitor to Yoshinoya, but they do seem to offer similar menu items in that they serve meat rice bowls. A few differences: they offer free rice refills, they have beef short rib on their menu, and they have different bottles of sauce for dipping at the table, so make sure you try them all.
PRO TRAVEL TIP: Order the Beef Short Rib because it was delicious!
Tendon Ten Ya
In Japanese, a tendon is not a muscle; in English, a tendon is not a shrimp.
Tendon Ten Ya specializes in tempura—fish or vegetables served with a soy-based dipping sauce and accompanied by rice or soba noodles, salad, and pickles. We only visited Tendon Ten Ya once near the end of our last visit to Japan and regret that we didn’t discover this restaurant sooner. The tempura is very fresh-tasting, and the panko batter is crisp and not oily or soggy.
Mos Burger
I’ve written about the popular fast food chain Mos Burger before << click the hyperlink to read the full article. In a nutshell, if you are a burger fan, you need to try Mos Burger in Japan. Made with quality ingredients, everything here tastes so fresh compared to the American fast food chains (sorry) MacDonald’s or Burger King. If you don’t see one on your travels through Japan, there is a Mos Burger (with a Café) conveniently located at Narita Airport.
7-Eleven in Japan
Okay, it’s not exactly a fast-food restaurant chain but a convenience store chain (aka Konbini). Every YouTuber who’s been to Japan has talked about 7-Eleven, so I’m not going to write that much about it except to tell you about my favourite foods.
Warm, soft, fluffy steamed pork buns for 160¥ (around $1US or $1.40CDN) each make a great snack or breakfast.
“fami-chicki” boneless fried chicken for 220¥ (around $1.50US or $2CDN) is all white breast meat. It’s great on its own but makes a great addition to an instant ramen noodle bowl.
The ready-to-heat meals are very fresh and perfect to take back to your hotel since all hotels in Japan have a microwave or kettle available.
PRO TRAVEL TIP: In Japan, it’s impolite to eat while you walk, so be prepared to eat your food inside the store or take it to go to eat at your hotel.
Conclusion: Japanese Fast Food Restaurants
In conclusion, don’t discount the idea of eating at a fast-food restaurant chain when visiting Japan. Fast food in Japan is budget-friendly, ordering from the menu is stress-free, and it’s the ultimate way to truly “eat local.”
Looking for more articles about Japan? Check out:
- Is Tokyo Expensive? 10 Cheap Things to Do When Visiting Japan’s Capital
- Things To Do in Gero Onsen Japan
- Nine Unique Experiences Found In Japan
- Fascinating and Modern Japan: 10 Things you Need to Know
