If you’re in Tokyo and you really … really … love Burger King Whoppers, you can enter their Whopper Challenge.
The contest, for those who are chosen to participate, will be held on Thursday, 2014 June 19th at 2PM in the Roppongi branch of Burger King.
Contestants will be given 30 minutes to eat seven Whoppers.
The prize for those who are successful will be free Whopper burgers for a month!
Like I said, it’s for those who really love Whoppers!
In Japan, Christmas isn’t a national holiday. If December 25th falls on a weekday then it’s just a normal workday in Japan.
But that said, クリスマス (X-mas) is still a big holiday in Japan. Not the biggest though…the most important holiday in Japan is 正月 (New Years).
I wrote a post before that explains a bit about Christmas in Japan…and another one that explains a bit about New Years in Japan.
To summarize though, Christmas isn’t the same in Japan as it is in Western countries.
Even though New Years is Japan’s biggest holiday, stores and streets in Japan put up X-mas decorations on November 1st (as soon as the Halloween decorations come down) and take them down on December 26th.
On December 26th in Japan, the Xmas decorations are quickly replaced with New Years decorations which stay up until around January 5th.
So Japan is decorated for the imported holiday of Christmas for fifty-six days but only about two weeks for New Years.
Basically the image of X-mas in Japan is a romantic evening for couples on クリスマス・イヴ (Christmas Eve) and a day for families with children on クリスマス (Christmas Day).
One of the popular dates spots for couples on and before X-mas Eve is to look at クリスマス・イルミネーション (X-mas lights (or, as they’re called in Japan, “Christmas illumination“)).
X-mas illumination at "Roppongi Hills" in downtown Tokyo.
There is a website that shows some of the best 「全国イルミネーション・スポット」 (Illumination Spots around Japan).
One part of that website lists 「イルミネーションおすすめスポット Best 5」 (“Top 5 Recommended Illumination Spots”).
The list is:
Also, check out this post that I wrote with photos of the X-mas illumination at Tokyo Tower and in Roppongi, Tokyo.
And also this one that I wrote about Omotesando, Tokyo turning the X-mas illumination back on last year after eleven years of not decorating.
How is Christmas celebrated where you live? Are stores already decorated for X-mas? Is looking at 「クリスマス・イルミネーション」 (X-mas lights) popular?
When I came to Japan in 1990 there was only one “Hard Rock Cafe” in this country at that time.
It was the “Hard Rock Cafe, Tokyo” in 六本木 (Roppongi, Tokyo) with the gorilla hanging on the window.
Back then, I went to the Hard Rock Cafe occasionally…mainly because it was a popular place around the world back then and, as Japan only had one HRC back then, it was almost certain that American and European rock musicians would stop by there after their shows on their Japan tours.
I talked to Van Halen, Blue Murder, and Bon Jovi in the Hard Rock Cafe, Tokyo.
But as time went by, Hard Rock Cafe set up more and more shops in Japan.
I don’t know why. I don’t think they’re very popular anymore. The food and drinks aren’t so good and they’re over-priced, in my opinion.
I don’t eat at the Hard Rock Cafe anymore. I haven’t been inside one in many years.
I do like the collection of guitars and gold records that they decorate their walls with…and the KISS memorabilia that seems to be at each of their restaurants, though.
But now in Japan, there are eight Hard Rock Cafe restaurants:
○ Hard Rock Cafe, Tokyo in 六本木 (Roppongi, Tokyo),
○ Hard Rock Cafe, Uyeno-eki in 上野駅 (Ueno Train Station, Tokyo),
○ Hard Rock Cafe, “Narita-Tokyo” in 千葉県成田市 (Narita, Chiba)…just like “Tokyo Disneyland” and “Narita Airport“, this HRC is in Chiba, Japan which is near Tokyo,
○ Hard Rock Cafe, Yokohama in 横浜 (Yokohama),
○ Hard Rock Cafe, Nagoya in 名古屋 (Nagoya),
○ Hard Rock Cafe, Fukuoka in 福岡 (Fukuoka),
○ Hard Rock Cafe, Osaka in 大阪 (Osaka), and
○ Hard Rock Cafe, Universal Studios Japan at the Universal Studios Japan in 大阪 (Osaka).
I passed by a Hard Rock Cafe yesterday and noticed that they’re having a “HRC meets Hello Kitty” campaign.
This doesn’t really interest me…as I wrote above, I don’t eat at Hard Rock Cafe and my wife and daughters aren’t into Hello Kitty (And I certainly don’t care about Kitty-chan either), but if you want to see the “HRC meets Hello Kitty” merchandise then click here.
Do they have many Hard Rock Cafe restaurants in your part of the world?
Have you visited many? Do you go there often? Have you been to any of them in Japan?
Do they sell “HRC meets Hello Kitty” merchandise in your city? Would you buy it?
Today is 冬至 (Winter Solace).
Click here to read my post about it last year and see how fruit plays an important part of this day in Japan.
In Japan, at Christmastime, many places put up beautiful X-mas light decorations…or 「イルミネーション」 (illumination), as it’s called in Japan.
Couples in Japan like to look at the Xmas illuminations on dates at this time of year.
Last night we went to Tokyo Tower to see the it lit up special for Xmas. On TV they said that every evening until x-mas, Tokyo Tower will be lit up with a heart in the center of the tower from 7:30 – 8:00 PM…so we went to see it.
After that, we went to Tokyo Midtown in 六本木 (Roppongi) to see their elaborate display.
Yesterday McDonalds Japan opened a number of “McCafé” shops around Japan.
They offer seven types of coffee that aren’t available at regular McDonalds restaurants, as well as the two that are (“Premium Roast Coffee” and “Premium Roast Ice Coffee”).
The hot coffees are shown in red. Ice coffees are in blue.
The “Premium Roast Coffee” and “Premium Roast Ice Coffee” are available for ¥120 and ¥220 (depending on size) just like they are at the regular McDonalds restaurants.
The other coffees are:
HOT
ICED
To promote the McCafé in Tokyo, they’re giving away free cups of hot カフェラテ (Cafe Latte) in specially designed paper cups for a few days.
It says in this ad above that from 3:00PM on 2009 November 3 (yesterday) until 2:59PM on November 6, the McCafé in 渋谷 (Shibuya, Tokyo) will be giving away the small hot カフェラテ (Cafe Latte)…and that the first 1000 customers will receive a special ceramic mug as well.
There will also be a McCafé truck giving the free latte coffees and it’s scheduled to be at Roppongi, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Yurakucho, and Akasaka at various dates and times this month. (If you want to know when and where it’ll be at, then visit the McDonalds Japan website. (if you can’t read it and would like to know the details, then tell me which area or date you’re wondering about in the comments section of this post and I’ll reply)).
The カフェアマンド六本木 (Roppongi Almond Cafe) which opened in August 1946 will close tomorrow (Saturday, January 3, 2009).
It will re-open in a new building very close to it’s current location…but it’s still surprising that they’re relocating.
In front of the カフェアマンド六本木 (Roppongi Almond Cafe) is a popular meeting spot for people meeting in 六本木 (Roppongi, Tokyo).
If people meet in 渋谷 (Shibuya, Tokyo), they usually meet near the Hachiko statue. If they meet in 新宿 (Shinjuku, Tokyo), they’ll often meet near the Studio Alta building. If they want to meet in 上野 (Ueno, Tokyo), they often meet in front of the Takamori statue. And if people meet in 六本木 (Roppongi, Tokyo), they usually meet in front of カフェアマンド六本木 (Roppongi Almond Cafe).
It’s a landmark.
Tokyo Five 
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