Domino’s Pizza

I remember when the Lawson convenience store near my house closed down, and I was pissed. I thought to myself, “Damn…I’m going to have to walk 7 minutes instead of 5 minutes to get my chicken nuggets (For reals though…Lawson’s karaage-kun is the shiznit). …and then something wonderful happened. A Domino’s Pizza opened in its place. A blessing and a curse…mostly a blessing though.

It’s been a few months since it has opened, and my addiction has not let up. I’ve been ordering it about once every two weeks (ok…sometimes once a week). Yes, it’s freaking amazing! …but not for my weight.

If you read my goals in Japan post, you might remember that I got really excited about finally having the courage to call in pizza deliveries regularly. So, you might be wondering what the big deal is. Let me explain. Before Domino’s opened, there were three pizza places that delivered to where I live. One is walking distance and is the crappiest pizza I’ve ever had. Never again. One tastes alright, but made me feel sick after (maybe it was a fluke, and I should try it again). The last is actually pretty tasty, for Japanese pizza at least. So for a while, I’d ordered pizza for delivery like once a month from the last place which definitely improved my quality of life here in Japan haha! There were two problems, however. One, it was dang expensive. It cost at least 2,000 yen each time which is like $20 for a medium-ish pizza, probably a small in America. Also, even though I had the courage to call and place an order, I still didn’t enjoy doing it and was sometimes hesitant.

So why is having a Domino’s 5 minutes away from my house awesome? First and foremost, I can do pickup instead of delivery. Wait, isn’t it more of a pain to go pick it up? Well yes I suppose, but when I go by bike it takes like two minutes which doesn’t even faze me. The main perk, though, is that when you opt for pickup instead of delivery, you get amazing discount options! One great one is that you can get a medium single pizza for 1,000 yen, and another is that you can buy one pizza and get a second one for free!!

Another reason Domino’s rocks is that the ordering can be done simply online…in ENGLISH! No hassle, no hesitation, no phone calls. The website lets you design your pizza exactly how you want it. You can add or removing toppings easily without confusing the staff.

Last, although the flavor isn’t exactly the same as American Domino’s, the flavor overall is best out of the places I have access to and has the most American style options. OHMAIGOD JALAPEÑOS!

Veggie pizza. Yes, that's eggplant!

Stuffed crust!

Thin crust, half and half.

Grilled chicken, zucchini, and bleu cheese...mmmm!

Having a Domino’s nearby has really made living in Japan a little more comfortable for me because I can enjoy myself in a way that I did in America. I’ve had pizza parties with my American friends, my Japanese friends, and my boyfriend. Actually my boyfriend comes over a lot, and we do the buy one get one free deal. We eat pizza, watch anime, and drink at my home. It makes for a really fun and cheap date. Since money has been tight for the both of us lately, it’s been a really good way to still have a “date” without breaking the bank.

So ya, I hope for my health’s sake I can relax a little with all the pizza and cut it down to like once a month instead of two or three times, but overall, I am so happy! Yay Domino’s!! …now I’m just waiting for Pizza Hut lol.