The Japanese fondness for fads is fairly well documented, with products, places and even people receiving the sometimes dubious merits of en masse mania due to their ‘newness’ or massive media hype.
A perfect example perhaps was the opening last December of a Krispy Kreme outlet in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. An event that took even the keenest of fad followers by surprise, with huge numbers of people standing in line for hours on end just to get hold of some of the shop’s presumably delectable donuts.
Yet more than eight months later, people are amazingly still at it, with the eatery boldly fending of the usual fickleness of Japanese consumers. Even on a mid-week August afternoon there are large numbers of punters patiently waiting outside in the far from comfortable temperatures just to get their hands on the sweet snacks inside.
And it’s not a wee wait and then back to the office or wherever to gorge on the goods either, as there’s now a theme park-style sign letting customers know just how long they’ll be in line for. A mere hour it seems being a small price to pay for some sugary satisfaction.
Now by all means call me an old curmudgeon as far as creamy treats are concerned, but isn’t this willingness to wait at least an hour for something as dull as a donut something to worry about?
BB says
They aren’t even so good!!
PkerUNO says
I was there a month or so ago, during a downpour that would send anyone running for cover. But not those people. Amazing, if misguided, staying power.
And for what it’s worth, Krispy Kreme is SO much better than Mr Donut.
Johan says
It’s the same over at Cold Stone Creamery, and Burger King, and it used to be the same at Doughnut Plant (until Krispy Kreme opened…ironic).
It’s the exclusive taste that people are after – as long as you have to go to certain extremes to be able to taste it, it’s going to stay popular. When there’s a Krispy Kreme in every corner, people will start looking for Mr.Donut again…
donkeymon says
“just to get their hands on…” !!!!
Paul says
Wow. They certainly love them doughnuts.
I always thought that Krispy Kreme was an odd name for a product that, though sometimes creamy, is rarely crispy. Krappy Krap might be a better name. They are tasty though.
Lee says
Well spotted donkeymon.
I was in a bit of a rush.
honest.
B R says
I hope the nice waistlines of the female Nippon beauties won’t follow the trend in America !
The Truth says
It’s not bad enough that Americans have to gorge themselves on that sugary lard. Gee, here’s a good idea….let’s pollute the rest of the world with our crap. Then maybe, they can be as fat as the slobs over here.
Stanley says
Same thing’s happening here in Singapore. No matter what time it is, there’s a perpetual queue in front of this donut shop downtown. Maybe it has something to do with asians and their love for sugary snacks.
The Truth says
I love Asian women because they’re not fat pigs. Guess the US is doing its best to change that.
Go get ’em…one sugary, fried donut at a time.
AS says
That’s a bit sad…I wouldn’t wait one hour just for a donut, I hear that krispy kream is better than some bakeries but I rather head to a local bakery with barely any line that still offers great pastries than this franchise.
The Truth says
I just get tired of traveling the world and seeing the same tired US franchises on every corner. I may as well visit Milwaukee or Columbus. Starbucks. McDonalds. KFC. And now Krispy Kreme.
The US has pigged out on this crap for years and years. The result is a bunch of sloppy obese pigs. It would be a shame if that’s what happens to Asians because they’re eating this shit. They’re about the only ethnic group that isn’t XXL…yet.
Shari says
Boy, “the truth”, you are a one-note poster. Perhaps you need to see a therapist about all that anger at fat people that you seem to have. Seriously. Three posts that are nothing but excuses to call Americans “fat pigs” doesn’t reflect well on your ability to offer insights into issues or emotional control.
It’s sad that the rest of the world are such incredible sheep that they have no choice but to surrender their will to the desires of U.S. franchises and are absolutely forced to consume the bad foods being offered. Someone should do something about the fact that absolutely no one in the world appears to have free will in the face of whatever the U.S. offers them. I guess that, on the bright side, if they aren’t actually choosing to eat food that is full of empty calories, they don’t have to be responsible for their actions.
Wake up people. The U.S. isn’t forcing jaws open and cramming food down foreign gullets and stealing the money out of their wallets. People are making a choice of their own. If they can’t control their eating habits any better than Americans, then that tells you something about how little different people all around the world are in terms of their willpower.
The Truth says
Hey Shari, blow me.
SNinNYC says
To turn this whole conversation around for a moment, i waited 30 minutes for a Beard Papas when it opened in NYC. The Asian cream puff chain had already been open for a few days, yet the line still stretched down the block. (“Darn those asians, try to make us all fat by exporting that fluffy goodness with a confectioner sugar dusting”)
So WHY did i wait? Well, quite simply, when else could i take part in an event where i waited in line for no other purpose than a cream puff. Go-go gadget Irony! (and might i add — YUM!)
MoMo says
really, this isn’t that surprising. Its new and everybody likes it. Plus, a hot, freshly made, free donut is damn well worth standing in line for me. Besides, the last time I checked there are still a fair amount of people lined up at the chains located around my area and the’ve been their for quite some time.
julie says
an hour wait isn’t so bad. Back in June when my friends and I would pass by the place it was at least a 2-hour wait each time. We even tried to go at 7 in the morning once, didn’t do us any good.
Adam says
Yup, when the first KK opened in the San Francisco Bay Area not only was there a huge line, but we drove for like 45 minutes to get there. Granted, I would never do that for Burger King…
pam says
Johan’s right, in my experience. KK arrived in Sacramento with all the anticipation of the Coming of Christ. People waited in the drive-thru for over an hour for doughnuts. (Well, this is California – you can’t have expected us to stand in line.)
But this year, with KK’s in packages at the grocery store and the gas station, people got tired of them, and soon the bakeries closed.