Earlier this year McDonalds rebranded 13 of its stores in Tokyo locations, such as Shibuya and Roppongi, giving the and appearance of the stores a facelift, perhaps to better match their swankier Japanese surroundings. More recently, is reporting that Kentucky Fried Chicken is undergoing a more drastic rebranding of its own, pitting the Colonel and his Christmas chicken giant against Ronald McDonald¡¯s fast food empire.

The first KFC restaurant debuted in Japan in November 1970 in Nagoya and quickly gained popularity, riding a boom in Western culture that can be partially attributed to the Expo ¡¯70, the World¡¯s Fair held in Osaka. Since then has become , thanks to a 1974 marketing campaign that was inspired by a group of foreigners who, unable to find turkey, decided to .

KFC in Japan has long been to survive the cut-throat fast-food industry. With this new marketing campaign, however, KFC clearly wants wants to tap into the health-conscious market of women and young people. The centerpiece of their experimental ¡±¡± menu, available only at the Shibuya location, is .? eschews french fries, giving the option instead of salad and tea. Included is a marinade sauce heavy on bell peppers. In addition to a variety of salads, the menu also includes a (¥Ö¥ì¥¤¥¶©`) chicken fillet sandwich, a broccoli chicken roll and an avocado shrimp sandwich. This move to healthier fare is ironic given that the U.S. KFC is currently hawking the , a sandwich that replaces bread with two cuts of fried chicken.

Nikkei Trendy seems impressed with the new items and equally so with , which is sleek and chic, not unlike the McDonalds changes. While the main opponent of KFC may be McDonald¡¯s, the company might be best advised to look closely at the marketing campaigns of Subway. The sandwich maker has firmly established the fact that in Japan, .?The company name is always given as ¡°Subway (of vegetables)¡± (Ò°²Ë¤ÎSubway), and their slogan is ¡°Put vegetables into every day¡± (š°ÈÕ¤ËÒ°²Ë¤ò¤Ï¤µ¤â¤¦). It is unlikely, however, that KFC¡¯s changes will be able to match Subway¡¯s commitment to freshness: On July 6, the company opened a new location called the in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo. The ¡°Lab¡± will feature organic vegetables . Fresh veggies from the in-store gardens will be available starting in October.

The Shibuya-dori KFC location will debut the new menu on Friday, July 9.