I had to go to Osaka yesterday for work so, in a fit of nostalgia, I decided to visit a Denny's in the city. I discovered Japanese Denny's completely misses the point of Denny's.
For one thing, it's not open 24 hours. For another, they stop serving breakfast at 11am. What a tragedy. As Tori Amos put it in "Purple People", "Breakfast, every hour, it could save the world." No world is being saved here.
The morning menu was full of the same kind of tiny Japanese versions of American foods I see at Coco's. Miniature pancakes, hamburger patties without buns (they call it "hamburg"), a few leaves of lettuce with stripes of thousand island dressing, and the odd salmon sashimi thrown in. Now, I love Japanese food. I think Japanese food is the best food in the world. But if you open an American restaurant in Japan, surely you'd be catering to people who are in the mood for American food? People don't go to sushi restaurants in the US to eat pizza.
I have kind of a love/hate relationship with the Japanese obstinacy when it comes to experiencing foreign culture. I do love that Japan wants to remain culturally unique. But I wish they'd step outside their comfort zone now and then. It's kind of funny that Lord of the Rings isn't very popular in Japan because Japan is the Shire. A people in love with gardening, hospitality, comfort, and cosy charm, that also doesn't really truck with the ways of outsiders. These are Hobbits.
Denny's in Japan is very similar to Coco's but Coco's seems to be much more popular. Coco's was also an American diner franchise though I think they're all out of business in the U.S. I remember them from my childhood so I was excited to see them here, just like Tower Records. But like Tower Records, it's not quite the same animal.
The whole concept of the "diner" actually doesn't seem to be current in Japan. I'm told Coco's is specifically considered a "family" restaurant. It fills a particular slot in the vibrant restaurant culture of Japan. There are places you go with your friends, there are places you go with your co-workers, there are places you go to eat alone. There are places for age groups. Coco's and Denny's are clearly meant for Mom, Dad, and the kids. Denny's in the U.S. advertises itself as a family place, too. But in aping the classic diner aesthetic it also fulfills that function and caters to all sorts.
But, of course, the distinguishing feature of Denny's is that it's open 24 hours. I remember going to Denny's at 3am after finishing a chapter of one of my comics and enjoying a victory All American Slam. Or you could go there after a long drive. Or it was the place you could go to with your friends after hanging out til the wee hours. Or for college students to go and study.
The Denny's I went to yesterday did have a nice bar for laptop users, with single occupant spots with outlets. So maybe there's some thought to catering to a less family oriented crowd. But without being open 24 hours, it's missing that crucial niche filled by Denny's and IHOP in the U.S. There are 24 hour places in Japan so I don't see why they couldn't get on it. McDonalds and Starbucks are basically the same in Japan as they are in the U.S. and they're doing well.
I couldn't get coffee at Denny's (!) so I checked my phone to see if there were any nearby Starbucks.
Yep, Starbucks is doing just fine in Japan.
For dinner at Denny's I ended up getting the "American Club Sandwich".
It wasn't too bad. Really dry but I've had worse.
I caught a beautiful sunset outside.
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