As part of our role as the UK’s No.1 Fish and Chips Takeaway 2016, James and his brother (Grant) were asked to visit Japan and serve up fish and chips to the lovely locals over a 3 week period. From Fukuoka to Tokyo, James and Grant got to really experience the weird and wonderful that Japan had to offer. Want to learn more? Read all about their time there with James’ Q&A.
Q: Where in Japan did you visit? Which was your favourite destination?
James: We fried at the British Fair in Fukuoka for 5 days, then in Osaka for 7 days. After that, we spent one day in Kyoto and 5 days in Tokyo to enjoy the sights.
Q: What was the main highlight of your trip?
J: So many to choose from! But probably going up the Tokyo Skytree – it’s twice the height of the shard! At the top, we got to enjoy incredible views of Tokyo – a definite wow moment.
Q: Did you learn any Japanese?
J: Yes! More than I expected to. We learned words for fish and chips, yes, delicious, cute, wonderful, hello, thankyou, goodbye and many more! Konichiwa!
Q: What did you do during the day?
J: In Fukuoka the pace was much slower, say 300-400 fish and chips in a day. It was a great opportunity to meet new people and I do think we’ve made some friends for life while we were there. In Osaka our record was over 1200 fish and chip in a day, people ran into the store and the queue was 70 deep from 10am until closing at 8 or 9pm! Those days we couldn’t even take a break so my brother and I just kept each other watered and ploughed on through. It’s crazy how much the Japanese love Britain, and fish and chips!
Q: Did you try any Japanese food? If so, what was your favourite dish?
J: We loved ramen and okonomiyaki. Not so keen on fried cartilage. Needless to say, they don’t waste anything! We also drank a lot of sake – our favourite was the plum flavour!
Q: What did you think of the Japanese people?
J: They’re the most polite people I’ve ever had the pleasure in dealing with. They were also very respectful and sweet.
Q: Will you return to Japan in the future?
J: I’d love to! It’s such a cool place to visit, and it’s so different to anywhere else I’ve been. The buzz of the busy cities, the amazing temples and the country’s history make it a very unique country. I’d go back in a heartbeat!
Have you got any more questions for James? Get in touch via Facebook or Twitter, or simply swing by the shop for a quick chat!
