The Chain Gang

This Was the Crazy-Long Line to Get Into Tokyo’s New Taco Bell

Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Taco Bell left Japan in the ‘80s, but Doritofied Tex-Mex-ish food made its triumphant return to the country yesterday with the opening of a much-hyped new Taco Bell in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo’s equivalent of Times Square. Taco Bell International president Melissa Lora tells the Japan Times the brand felt 2015 was finally the year to head back because of “social media and all the focus on new, interesting foods that are in the world today.” (Many of which, of course, are owed to Taco Bell’s overworked R&D; department.)

You have to hand it to the Bell. The powers-that-be tend to know what works, and based on the massive lines that formed outside Tokyo’s new Taco Bell, the move is looking like yet another success — people just can’t wait to try shrimp-and-avocado burritos, apparently.

While Japanese cheesecakes invade Toronto, Japan opens up its first Taco Bell http://t.co/yo3bMSmPP9 via @JapanToday pic.twitter.com/Nmu398DBNH— Andrew Hockridge (@drewhockridge) April 21, 2015

@TacoBellJP queues still out the door. Every domestic news outlet had extensive reports on it too. pic.twitter.com/j57RPUt1Pa— Gearoid Reidy (@GearoidReidy) April 21, 2015

Taco Bell returns to Japan with launch of Shibuya outlet http://t.co/0mLOO7Nazs pic.twitter.com/GAHjAI6HGt— The Japan Times (@japantimes) April 21, 2015

Waited four hours for this. Thank u so much @TacoBellJP pic.twitter.com/FeZ161f4cZ— Zach aka Phoenyx787 (@phx787) April 21, 2015

[Japan Times]

This Was the Crazy-Long Line to Get Into Tokyo’s New Taco Bell