As a University student in Tokyo during the early 1970's, I witnessed the first wave of American restaurants to hit the Japanese shores. It started with the large crowds at the Kentucky Fried Chicken booth at the Osaka Expo in 1970 and was quickly followed by the opening of the first McDonald's on the ground floor of the MItsukoshi Department store at the main Ginza crossing. Every Friday afternoon my classmates and I would gather at the McDonald's near Yoyogi Station to share news about home and to have a little taste of "America." It was a nice break from our daily diet of Japanese home cooking. More American chains soon followed - Baskin Robbins, Mister Donuts, Denny's, Hard Rock Cafe' - to mention a few.
