California Roll and Rice Burger

I love toro (oily tuna), uni (sea urchin), ikura (roe of salmon) and amaebi (sweet shrimp) for sushi.  When I first saw California rolls, they looked strange and did not stimulate my appetite much.  When I happened to taste them eventually, I enjoyed the texture of the avocado a lot.  And I have become a fan of it.

I love American beef burgers.  They are so thick and juicy.

When I saw rice burgers on a TV ad, I did not think that it would have a market of it in Japan.   However, the MOS Burger chain is now spread throughout Japan and I see not only Japanese but also many foreign visitors enjoying rice burgers.

As you know, Japan loves “kaizen (improvement)” small and large, and at business and at living. “Kaizen” is not innovation because it keeps much of the original style, culture or core value intact, but it sometimes causes an evolution from original models when a kaizen is implemented by fusion with a foreign culture.

The seating style Western toilet has pushed out the squatting style Japanese toilet from the market through the past 50 years or so, while Japanese kaizen spirits have been exhibited to this area as well.

Water showering functions, self-maintenance functions, odd neutralizing functions and even flushing sound generating functions for ladies have been added to the Western style toilet and yet new kaizens (evolution) are still going on.

Japanese airlines have been flying American and European commercial airplanes for a long time.

JAL and ANA are now flying Boeing 787 Dream Liners both domestically and internationally.

Most of the body of this latest high-tech plane consists of composite material instead of metal to make the plane much more fuel efficient and durable.  Japanese heavy industries are supplying the composite based body sections including the entire main wing and tail wings.

Japan loves to see its original culture being evolved by foreign ideas and values, while it welcomes foreign ideas, products, services and cultures and then, tends to implement some kaizens to them to Japanize them.

Indian curry is fully Japanized and enjoyed at almost all the households in Japan.

Interestingly enough, many Indian visitors name “CoCo Ichi”, a curry house chain one of the best places to eat in Japan according to a TV program’s survey.

So, let’s make a fusion together by either bringing your idea, products or services to Japan or taking Japanese idea, products or services back to your country!