Burger King Japan's Kuro (black) Diamond burger.

TOKYO – In a country steeped in tradition and a fascination for the future, foodservice operators have resorted creative ways to garner the attention of Japanese consumers.

For example, Burger King Japan has returned the "Kuro Burger" (Black Burger) to its menus. Kuro Burgers feature buns made from bamboo charcoal, a sauce that contains garlic, onion and squid ink. The twist for the re-launch is black cheese, also made with bamboo charcoal.

Burger King Japan is offering the Kuro (black) Pearl and the Kuro (black) Diamond as a limited-time promotion.

A contest promotion run by KFC in Japan features chicken-themed computer peripherals.

 
Not to be outdone, KFC recently launched fried chicken-themed computer accessories and jewelry. The Internet is just a drumstick-click away with the chicken drumstick-shaped mouse. Colonel Sanders makes appearance on the keyboard as the "escape" key. There's also a chicken drumstick USB drive to round out the collection. The items are not for sale. Rather, they are part of a contest promotion.