How to use McDonald's Wifi

Recently McDonald's has become my favorite place to study. I always liked to study there because of the free coffee refills, but now after finally setting up my computer to work with their wifi, it's become my main studying location. It's great because I don't like studying at home, there are McDonald's everywhere, and I'm able to keep my Anki deck synced over the Internet as well as be able to copy and paste definitions quickly from online dictionaries. The process of signing up for McDonald's wifi is a bit strange but convenient and somehow also convoluted. I thought it might be something that would interest you guys.

The wifi that McDonald's uses is Yahoo! BB Mobile Point. The instructions are here, but I'll summarize in English.

Step 1: Go to a FamilyMart convenience store. They have a machine there called the Famiポート (FamiPort). Push the button that says "プリペイド"(Prepaid). It's a green button with the ￥ symbol on it.

Yeah, that's the one

Step 2: Push the button that says "インターネット電話/無線LAN"(Internet Telephone/Wifi). You'll see it has the Yahoo!BB logo inside.

Like so

Now it'll give you an option to either do this in English or Japanese.

Step 3: Select how much time you'd like to buy. There are three different lengths: 1 Day = ￥500, 2 Weeks = ￥1000, and 3 Months = ￥4000.

Step 4: After you select and confirm, it will print a receipt. Take that receipt and pay at the register. They will print out and give you your username and password info.

Step 5: Next you need to activate your username and password which strangely involves already needing Internet access. A mobile phone is fine. Follow the instructions on the form they gave you which involves going to http://www.bbmp.jp. Click on the link to validate your ID and agree to the terms. It should now automatically open your email program. Just send them a blank email to their address (activatee@bbmp.jp), or put SBTM in subject and body if you can't send blank emails. You should immediately receive a reply with a link. Click the link and input your Serial No. and Confirmation Code and submit. After that it should say you're successfully activated.

Step 6: Finally go to McDonald's with your computer, login to the "mobilepoint" network using the WEP key from your username and password sheet, open a web browser and put in your username and password. And you're done! Now study, enjoy your coffee, and try to take it easy on the fries.

McD: Miami

I swear I don't eat fast good that often. But...I did it again. After seeing how popular my post about the Texas 2 Burger was, I decided that I owed it to you...nay, to myself to try the Miami Burger, as well. 

Let's get down to brass tacks. I've "talked" to some people online who have claimed to have received perfectly nice-looking burgers at McDonalds. I'd like to know where they're going. This time I went to a completely different restaurant. Several towns away, as a matter of fact. Yet my Miami Burger still looked like it was slapped together in 5 seconds (which it probably was). Above is a candid shot of the burger just kind of hanging out.

Here's a more intimate photo of what's under the hood. Looks like a dab of chili-type sauce on top of three nacho chips, a Kraft single, and some shredded lettuce. Fortunately it tasted a lot better than it looked. The chili-ish sauce plus the nachos gave me the sensation of eating a taco wrapped in a burger, which wasn't entirely unpleasant. Actually reminded me of a Taco Bell double-decker taco. I was really thirsty after eating it, though. So much so that although I was curious about the nutrition facts, I was too scared to look at them, fearing that I had just consumed about two days worth of sodium.

I think this one's finished now, but who knows...maybe it'll be back for Big America 3?

Texas 2

Not "Texas Burger 2," mind you.

Tokyo Five and In Sendai recently blogged about the comeback of the Big America burgers - limited time sandwiches like "Texas Burger" and "New York Burger." Well, apparently they were a hit, because round 2 is here. Right now the Texas Burger 2 is up. Mmmmmm....doesn't it look good?

Now I know there are people who get paid to make these pictures look good, but at what point does it become false advertising? Compare the above with this:

Mmmmm....doesn't that look...edible? I don't know where to begin. There was some chili in there, but it was hiding behind what looks like boiled ham, as opposed to the crispy bacon in the former picture. And yes, there was cheese. That was hiding, too. Honestly this thing wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. And it cost 700 yen and change, meaning I payed almost $10 for that thing plus some fries and 4-5 slips of soda. What a racket.

Now I know there are some who like Japanese portions, and would prefer to go to a McDonalds in Japan, where they can have a small, non-greasy burger. But if I'm going to pollute my body with this garbage, bring on the grease and bring on the beef! I'd pay less for more any day. Can always just, you know... not eat the whole thing...

The Maku

Just another random thought 2/23/10: McFail

Right now McDonald's in Japan is running a promotion called "Big America," which entails featuring a new huge-ass burger every (I believe) couple of weeks. They're big, because Americans like big things. And burgers. Get it? Big America.

I tried to get a Texas Burger a few weeks ago, but alas they were all out...so I have decided not to buy any of the others out of spite! Anyway, the other day I was in a McDonald's eating not a sumptuous-looking Hawaiian Burger, but rather a passably good Chicken Fillet sandwich (Take that, McD!). I looked down at my tray, and noticed this:

Now this actually isn't so much of a McFail as it is someone in Marketing's McStake (Zing!), but what's with the nomenclatural inconsistency? Texas Burger, New York Burger, Hawaiian Burger, and California Burger. Why not Hawaii Burger? Nit-picky? Maybe. But I get paid to teach people stuff like why it's more correct to say "the opportunity to do something" than "the opportunity of doing something." Man, someday I'm gonna miss this job.

More on Mr. James

(Image from McDonald's website)

I may have mentioned the Mr. James ad campaign currently being run by McDonald's Japan. Debito Arudou, a naturalized Japanese citizen, wrote this recent article on the subject for the Japan Times. Some responses can be found here. Of course each individual is entitled to his own opinion, but it's a little off-putting that some people are essentially telling Debito to shut up and stop complaining. I mean, it's fine not to be offended by a questionable ad campaign. But what right do you have to tell other people how to feel about it?

Take that, Mr. James!

Or rather, take that, McDonalds.

A friend of mine asked in a comment a while back what I think of the whole Mr. James thing. While I'm not so completely turned off that I'm going to boycott McDonalds, I think it was a stupid and insensitive move on their part, and an unwise marketing decision. Perhaps some Japanese find it funny, but I think the more publicity this campaign receives, the more negatively it will reflect on McDonalds. A large, multinational corporation such as McDonalds with such extensive experience should know better than to run a campaign based on a stereotype (especially a negative one).

The Daily Yo-ji just released a spoof of Mr. James promoting Mos Burger, one of Japan's leading burger chains. They also sent a letter with their proposal to Mos Burger. Pretty funny. I really hope someone from Mos decides to pick up this counter-marketing plan and run with it.

H/t to Japan Probe. Here's the link for the video, if you can't view it embedded.