FAST FOOD

Fast food in Japan dates a few centuries when stall vendors began offering tempura, soba, sushi, etc., on the street. Like many other countries, hamburgers and fried chicken abound in today’s Japan side by side with uniquely Japanese fast food represented by gyudon, a dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with thinly sliced beef and onion simmered in say-sauce-based soup. Gyudon restaurants can be found almost anywhere in Japan and are also popular among international tourists. For Ken, a frequent business traveler, the first place to go after returning from an overseas trip is always a gyudon restaurant. He can hardly wait to order his choices. “A large bowl of gyudon with miso soup and an egg, please!”