Eating Cheap in Japan (Julien)

              As you probably know, Tokyo is not the cheapest place in the world. On the contrary, along with London, it is said to be one of the world’s most expensive cities. In the peak of its economic boom in the late 80’s, Tokyo’s real estate alone was valued to be more than the whole of the United States of America. Though the bubble has collapsed since, the prices of commodities in Tokyo still remain extremely high. No doubtedly, this is felt on naïve tourists and newcomers of Japan, who are unaware of how the average middle-class Japanese family survives.

              When coming to Japan, most foreigners are aware of these high prices and accept it as a part of living in the country. If your already paying for the airfare to get to Japan, your wealth probably has over passed most Japanese. However, it is remarked that many foreigners coming to study and work in Japan are coming on scholarships and subsidized loans. Not having as much disposable income as the average tourist, who come looking for a few weeks of fun. Fortunately for them, there are ways to live and eat in Japan, without denting one’s meager funds.

              When walking down a street of the most populous in Tokyo, one will find that many expensive restaurants and bars line the streets. They are surely bigger, flashier, and more noticeable. It may be a surprise to you that even those ones that seem cheaper end up costing you an arm and a leg.

              So how can one solve this dilemma? The first step is to stop thinking like an outsider and start thinking like a local. You’ll then find that you can budget 600, 500, or even 400 (about 5 dollars) yen a meal. You should consider that foreign food in Japan is expensive, while Japanese food is cheap. If you don’t like Japanese food, try! You’re in Japan, and if you only want to eat steak and potatoes-that's all you’ll be doing.

   

              A good place to start off is at the local supermarket. Its ok if you can’t cook because all Japanese supermarkets sell pre-packaged lunches called obentos. They sell from 300-600 yen and provide a good quality nutritionally balanced meal. Hint-buy them in supermarkets not convenient stores, where they will be more expensive and of lower quality. Supermarkets also have affordable fish and curry. A second suggestion is to look for ramen and udon shops. They’re usually smaller and not as nice to look at as other restaurants but they provide a variety of noodle dishes for as low as 300 yen. Want more variety? Check out university cafeterias. There is no need to be a student, and compared to university cafeterias in the States they are a lot cheap. If you really crave some food from back home, though, chain diners are a viable choice. Providing Western foods for cheap prices, these diners are considered low quality by Japanese, though most Westerners love them.

Some other factors to consider when getting food at most of these places is that tea and water are complementary and there is no tip included. Therefore, when budgeting your meals think of these options instead of chains like McDonalds or Burger King, which in most cases are more expensive. Eating well and cheap might be hard in the U.S., but is very possible in Japan.