In my Japan and Globalization class, we have been reading about the various ways Japan is influenced globally and how the culture adapts these outside influences in order to suit their culture. One of the global influences is the introduction of McDonald, the world’s largest leading fast food restaurant, to Ginza, Japan in 1971. McDonald, which was founded in 1927 in San Bernardino, California by Dick and Mac Donald, progressed from national to multinational and thus became a global business that established all over the world working with local culture and needs. The success of McDonald was due to the fact that McDonald thinks globally and acts locally. This means that they were able to adapt to the culture by making various adjustments to suit the Japanese people. They have most of the staple McDonald choices on the menu, but there are some variations. For example, it offers teriyaki Mc Burger, Chicken Tatsuta etc. Also the drink size and fries are much smaller portion and everything is bit more upscale so eating at McDonald does not seem bad. There is also a similar fast food restaurant as McDonald that opened in Tokyo in 1972 called the Mos Burger, which literally translates as “Mountain Ocean Sun”. It originated in Japan and it is the second largest growing franchise in Japan. Today, there are 1,361 shops in Japan. Mos Burger is known for using fresh vegetables and unique Japanese flavored sauces. The concept is like that of McDonald but there are slight variations. They offer standard type hamburgers and cheeseburgers but also offer burgers that can't be found at McDonald's. One of these burgers is called the Rice Burger, which replaces the bun that is found in a typical hamburger with two flat round patties made out of rice, barley, and millet. The success of McDonald is really due to the fact that it was able to adapt to the needs of the Japanese culture so it could thrive. It was able to glocalize by bringing something foreign and adapting to the local culture and needs.
I like these pictures because the first picture related to McDonald two foreigner looking people with a sign that is in Japanese. I think it is interesting that they decided to use foriengers to package the product and then they use Japanese so the local people can understand. The second picture of the Mos Burger has signs that are written in English and then in Japanese. Even though this is a store that was founded in Japan, they still decided to market their product in English. I think that this is because the usage of the English language is something that is different and stands out.
Nice overview of what we discussed in Globalization class. You might want to look into the Nippon All Stars campaign at McDonald's. The stereotypical use of a (foolish looking/acting) foreigner has been deemed problematic by some...
ReplyDeleteI looked into the Nippon All Stars campaign and how it was described did not have any positive aspect to this campaigin. The flowing statement is how this campaign was described:
ReplyDeleteMr James, the American mascot of McDonald’s Japan, is a character invented by advertising giant Dentsu for McDonald’s Japan’s new burger line - the “Nippon All Stars.” The campaign, running through Nov 5, promotes four burgers available only in Japan. On his blog on the McDonald’s Japan website, Mr James is described as a 43-year-old Japanophile from Ohio. According to a TIME magazine story, Mr James has upset non-Japanese, among them Arudo Debito, the chairman of the Foreign Residents and Naturalized Citizens’ Association of Japan, for being “white, dorky and speaking mangled Japanese” which the group feels plays to Japan’s xenophobic tendencies. TIME reports that Debido has officially protested the Mr James campaign with a letter to McDonald’s Corp headquarters in Illinois.
I guess my question this is what is the point of a campaign like this if it is so negative?