McDonald's in Japan: Don't Be Surprised by the Sizes, and Try a Japanese Burger Chain Too

The front of a MOS Burger shop with green signs and big windows, with bicycles parked outside and a menu board by the door — A MOS Burger shop in Osaka (Osaka). MOS opened its first shop in 1972.Photo: Tjeerd Wiersma, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If you travel with children, you know what happens the moment they spot the big yellow M: they want to go in. McDonald's is easy to find in Japan, and the menu feels familiar, but the sizes can be a small surprise, especially for visitors from North America and Europe. This guide compares the official numbers for fries and Coca-Cola in Japan and the US, introduces a few menu items you may not see at home, and suggests some burger chains that were born in Japan, for when the kids want burgers again.

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Fries and drinks: Japan and the US compared, using each country's official figures
Menu items to look for at McDonald's in Japan
Burger chains born in Japan, such as MOS Burger
Ordering, Happy Meals, paying and handy phrases

"Is this a toddler's size?"

Order a small drink in Japan and you may look at the cup and think, "Wait, is this the toddler's size?" You're not imagining it. Fountain drinks here come in noticeably smaller cups than in the US. The fries, on the other hand, may surprise you the other way.

Neither country's official website lists the weight of the fries or the volume of the drinks, but both list the calories for each size, which works as a rough guide to how much is in the box or the cup. Here are the numbers from McDonald's Japan's nutrition table and McDonald's USA's menu pages for fries and Coca-Cola, checked on October 5, 2026:

Item	Japan	USA
Fries	S 225 / M 410 / L 517	Kids 110 / Small 230 / Medium 320 / Large 480
Coca-Cola	S 94 / M 145 / L 188 / Jumbo 291	Extra Small 150 / Small 200 / Medium 270 / Large 380

Fries and Coca-Cola at McDonald's: calories by size, Japan and the US

Drawn for this guide from the official nutrition figures of McDonald's Japan and McDonald's USA (checked October 5, 2026). Calories are a rough guide only: the recipes, the cups and the amount of ice differ between countries.

So the fries hold their own: a Japanese S has about the same calories as an American Small, and a Japanese M even has more than an American Medium. The drinks are where you'll feel the difference. A Japanese L Coca-Cola has fewer calories than an American Small, and you'd need the Japanese "Jumbo" size to get close to an American Medium. Nobody is being stingy; Japan simply serves smaller drinks. If you're thirsty, order an L, or a second drink.

Menu items to look for

The Big Mac and Chicken McNuggets are here, of course, but the Japanese menu has a few items you may not see at home. At the time of writing (October 5, 2026), these are on McDonald's Japan's official menu:

Teriyaki McBurger (てりやきマックバーガー): a pork patty with a sweet soy-based teriyaki flavor, from 400 yen.
Ebi Filet-O (えびフィレオ): a burger with a crunchy breaded shrimp patty, from 440 yen.
Tsukimi Burger (月見バーガー): "moon-viewing burger", with a round egg that looks like the full moon. It first went on sale in 1991, inspired by the autumn custom of moon-viewing, and comes back every autumn. In 2026, its 35th year, the Tsukimi menu started on September 2, from 460 yen, and is planned to end around late October. Seasonal items can sell out early.

Prices are tax included and "from" prices: McDonald's Japan notes that prices differ at some shops and for delivery. An S fries is from 220 yen, and an S Coca-Cola from 160 yen.

Burger chains born in Japan

If the children ask for burgers again the next day, why not try a "Japanese burger"? Japan has its own burger chains, with menus that use rice, teriyaki and other local flavors.

MOS Burger (モスバーガー): its first shop opened on March 12, 1972, as a pilot shop in Narimasu, in Itabashi, Tokyo (Tokyo), and MOS stands for Mountain, Ocean and Sun. MOS says it has about 1,400 shops across Japan and lists the Teriyaki Burger and its rice burgers among its Japanese-style items. The MOS Rice Burger was born in 1987, using two pressed rice patties instead of a bun. MOS makes each item after you order it, so expect a short wait.
Freshness Burger (フレッシュネスバーガー): its first shop opened in 1992 in a small old house in Tomigaya, Tokyo (Tokyo).
Zetteria (ゼッテリア): the Zensho group, which also runs the gyudon chain Sukiya, opened the first Zetteria in September 2023 in Tamachi, Tokyo (Tokyo). In January 2026 it announced that all Lotteria shops in Japan, a chain that opened its first shop in 1972, would become Zetteria, Impress Watch reported. If you remember Lotteria from an earlier trip, look for the Zetteria sign instead.

Some burgers belong to one town and are worth a detour if your trip takes you there:

Lucky Pierrot (ラッキーピエロ), Hakodate (Hokkaido): a local chain with 17 shops in the Hakodate area, and its English page says you can only eat its burgers there. Its best-known item is the Chinese Chicken Burger.
Sasebo burgers, Sasebo (Nagasaki): Nagasaki's official tourism site says the Sasebo burger is said to have started around the 1950s, when the US Navy brought the recipe to the city, and that more than 25 restaurants serve their own version.

Burger chains born in Japan, at a glance

Drawn for this guide from the companies' official pages, Nagasaki's official tourism site and news reports listed below (checked October 5, 2026). Shop numbers change.

Ordering, kids and paying

Ordering: you can order at the counter, and many shops also have touch-screen ordering machines. The McDonald's Japan app works in Japanese and English, and with its mobile order you can order and pay before you arrive, then pick up at the counter, at a drive-thru or, at some shops, have it brought to your table.
Happy Meal: in Japan it's called the Happy Set (ハッピーセット). At the time of writing, the official menu lists Happy Sets at 510 or 540 yen, with a toy or a book.
Allergies: McDonald's Japan and the other chains publish allergen information for each item; see food allergies in Japan.
Paying: the mobile order page lists credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Japanese code payments. At the counter, check the stickers by the register, and carry some cash just in case; see how to pay for things in Japan. There is no tipping.
Can't read the screen? Point Google Lens at the menu; see eating out with a translation app.

Want somewhere to sit down with the whole family? Try family restaurants in Japan, or, for a quick local bowl, gyudon beef bowl chains.

English	Japanese	Reading
To eat here.	店内で。	Tennai de.
To take away.	持ち帰りで。	Mochikaeri de.
A Happy Set, please.	ハッピーセットをください。	Happi setto o kudasai.
An L size drink, please.	ドリンクはLサイズでお願いします。	Dorinku wa eru saizu de onegaishimasu.
No ice, please.	氷なしでお願いします。	Kori nashi de onegaishimasu.

My visit

It works the other way, too. Years ago I ordered a large drink at a McDonald's in the United States, and when it came I honestly wondered how anyone could finish a cup that big.

Last reviewed: October 5, 2026. Calories and prices are from the official websites at the time of writing and change from time to time.