Unlike what many imagine, food in Japan is not expensive. It is possible to eat in quality restaurants while spending less than in Brazil. This reminds us that the Japanese with their 6x higher salary can enjoy much more. Even if you don't live in Japan, it is possible to spend a period there spending less than in Brazil for food (in restaurants). Sometimes it is cheaper to eat in restaurants in Japan than to shop at a market. In this article, I will leave you some tips and useful information on how you can eat a lot in Japan while spending little.
The restaurants in Japan are cheap and include a huge menu. Japanese people usually eat in restaurants every day, this means that there is a huge competition, there are thousands of restaurants with thousands of dishes from different countries. Ordinary restaurants usually range from 500 to 1500 yen a plate (about 14 to 40 reais). Coffee and snacks can be purchased at any convenience store and can cost less than 200 yen (5 reais).
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Cheap Japanese Restaurants
The cheapest Japanese restaurant chains are Yoshinoya, Matsuya, and Sukiya. Here you can find one of the most common dishes accepted by Westerners, the famous Gyudon. This dish is basically a bowl of rice with meat and onion, but don't be fooled by its simplicity, it's delicious! These restaurants usually also sell other dishes like curry, soba, udon, and other common recipes from Japanese cuisine. A dish typically costs between 450 and 700 yen.
There are thousands of different restaurants that sell soba, udon, ramen, somen, curry, dumplings and many other dishes for less than 1000 yen, even in malls. These restaurants are usually super fast. In some restaurants you choose your dish at a vending machine or choose some ingredients. Even at McDonald's you can go and spend less than 600 yen.
If you want to eat sushi, the most popular restaurants are the conveyor belt ones. Some usually charge 100 to 200 ienes for the cheaper dishes, which makes you end up spending more than 2000 ienes. If you want to eat not only sushi but also barbecue, some yakiniku offer all-you-can-eat for around 1000 ienes.
Street Food and Bento
In Japan, you can find various stalls, or even street restaurants where you eat standing up. These places often sell cheaper snacks, as well as things like nikuman, gyoza, takoyaki, okonomiyaki and some skewers (yakitori).
A cheaper alternative that can even cost less than 400 yen are the obento. They are lunch boxes that can be purchased at convenience stores, markets, or in other places on the street. At convenience stores, you can also buy snacks like nikuman, karaage, yakitori, oden, and various processed foods. Bakeries are another cheap option for those who want to eat something different.
If you avoid famous neighborhoods and tourist spots, you will find several cheap options for less than 100 yen. Stay alert because there are plenty of options! Do you know any cheap place? Do you have any tips? Leave it in the comments and share the article with your friends.
