Fear and loathing at McDonalds

I do not reccomend Nagoya station at 5:30 a.m. My overnight bus from Tokyo made the trip in half an hour shorter than expected. I did sleep, not well, on the bus, which seemed to every hour for potty breaks I personally didn't need. At the station, not a damn thing was open. And my call to friend was not answered or returned. So I found the luggage storage compartment area, shoved my giant jansport bag in there, and walked around. I found a large row of shops ... all closed. A convenience store ... closed. A McDonald's ... closed ... wait ... open at 6:30! I made it my goal to be the first customer of the day at that McDonald's (or Maku, as they call it here). But I failed. I was not paying attention ... looking the other way ... reading The Japan Times ... and right behind my back a massive line was forming, and my goal was out the window. Finally the doors opened and the line started moving. The Japanese Micky Ds is much better than the U.S. version. It's fast. It's clean. The staff goes out of its way to help you, whether by opening the door for you as you enter or by taking your tray from the tabale when you finish. And they at least seem to care if we are satisfied customers. I wonder what explains the difference.

On one of these many "no plan" days in Nagoya, maybe I should spend all day in a McDonalds ... eat three meals there ... observe. Take notes. Photos. Take it all in. Total coverage.

I'd probably be arrested.

...
NAGOYA, Japan (AP) -- A U.S. citizen claiming to be a tourist visiting friends in Japan has been arrested by authorities as a suspected spy. Daniel Bryan Traylor, 22, reportedly was found staking out a Nagoya McDonald's, taking photos of the employees and writing detailed notes in a tiny, green notebook said to be full of strange entries.

Traylor reportedly struggled with Japanese police, who observed his behavior from across the street for three hours before gaining approval to make the arrest. Traylor, who speaks limited Japanese, beleived the police to be parking lot guides.

The Japanese government said it will detain Traylor, who is now in jail in an undisclosed location, until the investigation is complete. While no formal charges have been filed, authorities said the case was so unusual that it warrented special attention.

"His notebook is full of odd references to McDonald's," said Nogya Police spokesman Hiroshi Yamamoto. "It even notes the Nagoya Station location, which suggests that he may have been coordinating some kind of attack."

Stuart Holcomb, a spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Tokyo, said Japan is right to err on the side of caution as the world is on high alert for terrorism.