Japan doesn’t have to be exorbitantly expensive. Standing up and slurping noodles, learning to love the supermarket, and munching street eats can help you stick to your budget.
If you’re low on funds while traveling in Japan, there are many fun ways to eat inexpensively like locals, without compromising great flavor and cultural thrills. Below are some possibilities to get you started.
1. Sushi conveyor belt establishments
Photo: avlxyz
This is only for those with the willpower not to gobble up everything in sight, as it can add up when you start counting the plates. For a very light meal, a plate of sushi can range from 200 to 400 yen, and the quality and flavor are guaranteed to be superior to the conveyer belt sushi shops in the strip mall of your home town.
Remember to find somewhere with a crowd or, better yet, a line. It signals good and cheap.
2. The supermarket
Photo: dlisbona
Head to the obento and “to go” isle to pick and choose from little containers of side dishes, sushi, noodles and rice balls. Pretty straight forward—choose what looks good, pay, and have a little picnic under the blossoming sakura trees (if it’s spring). Try not to eat your entire lunch while walking as it’s considered rude.
3. Stand and eat noodle shops or curry houses
Photo: avlxyz
You won’t find any chairs here, or a spot to linger. Choose a dish from the plastic replicas in the glass case outside, and point to it (if you don’t speak much Japanese). The food comes out in minutes, and if you usually love to slurp your noodles, you won’t feel alone, as you’ve got the company of other slurpers.
Many of these shops can be found in busy train stations, as they cater to workers who need a quick bite before going off to battle the day.
4. The food floor in the department store basement
We’re not quite used to Nordstroms or Macy’s having a floor dedicated entirely to food, but this is where you’ll get more schmaltz than option #2 while staying within your budget. For foodies among you, a heavenly culinary experience awaits–there many small shops selling freshly made food presented like a work of art.
Choose from Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French or Italian food to go in containers. There’s also free food in the form of samples, offered by almost every shop—almost enough to supplement your meal. If you feel that the samples were less filling than you thought, just visit more department stores until you’ve had enough.
5. The Yatai
This is Japanese street food at its best, served from small mobile food stalls in the evening hours to feed and inebriate business men after a long day. Yatai can also be found at omatsuris or fairs.
There’s a hodgepodge of unusual foods to try: grilled fish nibbled from a skewer like a popsicle, juicy octopus legs, octopus dumplings, stewed vegetables and meats, grilled chicken, pan fried noodles, okonomiyaki (Japanese style savory pancakes), frozen fruit, homemade popsicles, candied fruit and lots more. It’s a lot like eating from lunch wagons at home, but far more exciting.
6. Bakery meals
Photo: dlisbona
Japanese bakeries are worth checking out to fill your savory and sweet cravings. There are breads and pastries you won’t find at home such as melon bread, red bean doughnuts, fried curry bread, and sweet potato pastries, to name the most commonly found.
Take a tray and choose the most delectable looking. Grab a drink and pay at the front. The bread will expand in your tummy leaving you feeling full until the next meal time.
7. The Izakaya
Photo: securecat
Here’s a place to go if you absolutely must feel as if you’re eating at a restaurant. It’s primarily a spot for drinking and smoking R&R, while munching an assortment of small dishes— much like Japanese tapas.
Most izakayas have picture menus which change according to seasonally available foods. No two Izakayas serve the exact same food unless it’s a franchise—so you’ll never know what you’re going to get.
8. McDonalds and more—Japanese fast food
Photo: George Arriola
Japanese fast food joints are a must-have for the budget traveler- they go far beyond Big Macs, greasy tacos and egg Mc muffins. You’ll still find Japanese food. Try the grilled rice balls, rice bowls with meat, salted cod and egg flavored fries, salads with baby smelt instead of croutons, and green tea flavored soft serve.
Commonly found chains include Lotteria, Moss Burger, Yoshinoya and Dom Dom apart from the beloved McDonalds.
9. Instant ramen noodles
Photo: technicolorcalvary
In the worst case scenario where you’ve only got 300 yen left—equivalent to three bucks, rest assured a full stomach is possible. Visit a supermarket and head to their instant food isle, entirely dedicated to instant ramen. My favorite is the curry ramen with carrots and potatoes that plump up with the addition of hot water.
If you want something even cheaper, there are 100 yen shops around which carry instant noodles for a buck. Not bad.
Community Connection
Interested in Japan? Watch this video about a traditional Japanese meal, or get inside Japan’s freaky-themed bars and bathhouses.
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18 Comments... join the discussion!
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Yes, the conbini has lots of yummies that are also healthy– individually packaged tofu chunks with a dipping sauce and the onigiri rice balls with ume. I do miss the anpan.
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Royal Host – the only place in Japan that makes a decent club sandwich.
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Are you serious about Izakaya, department store basements and supermarkets being ways to eat cheap in Japan?
Especially with small pizzas starting from 600 JPY in Izakayas as an example I have found those places to be some of the most expensive.
How about 99yen shops or instant yakisoba from Matsumoto pharmacy for 100 JPY?
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I agree. Ms. Omari, what kind of cheap are you talking about? I think the closest thing to a “restaurant” setting would have to be mom and pop restaurants and vending machine restaurants like Pepper Lunch.
Izakayas are definitely not cheap. Department store food floors are not cheap either. I would recommend 7-11 or “Seven and I Holdings” as you’ll see the signs say. They have lots of salads, sushi, curry bowls, katsu, and pretty much everything you’d want as prepared foods. They will heat up all the foods for you as well upon purchase. It is definitely a beautiful thing.
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Izakayas outside of cities and in smaller towns are less expensive… it also depends on what you order–I usually order one item (something small) and call it a light dinner. No drinks- just water.
As for food floors in department stores, I find that a few pieces of food from a couple different vendors along with the free samples give me a half full of food feeling.
By this I mean one freshly made piping hot rice ball/one roll of the cheapest sushi (the ones without fish are cheap), and one pastry. I second the conbini (convenience shops) in Japan.
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With Izakayas, you have to do some comparison shopping– and the ones I’ve been to outside of big cties haven’t been expensive… remember, at an Izakaya, its making a meal out of a small nibble. Portion sizes are also smaller in Japan. I also don’t order the most expensive thing on the menu either.:)
As for department stores, I’m talking about the food section where vendors sell food items to go. I usually buy one onigiri– a high quality one, piping hot and sumptuous for less than 500 yen! I may pick up a pastry (just one) on the way out.
Samples, those small bites that vendors are getting you to taste– they’re another way to stretch out departent store food.↵ -
I think the main picture is Kim-Bob in Korea..
I mean.. the picture on the main frame, not this post.
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Great article thanks. I’m off to Japan soon and have been worried about the budget breaking costs. This has put me at ease.
I’d love to see a ‘how to sleep cheap’ article also.
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Thanks Matt.
I also found that cooking super simple and cheap food at home like rice, tofu, and eggs helped keep me feeling full when I was there. There are also lots of 100 yen shops around and they sell non perishable food items to help stretch a meal of rice nicely. As for cheap sleeps, hostels are probably your best bet. I’m not sure what the camping scene in Japan is like.
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The restaurant that you buy the tickets for from the vending machine is probably Matsuya. It is another Gyuudon restaurant like Yoshinoya.
Sukiya is an even cheaper alternative. Another of my favorites is the curry chain CoCo Ichiban.
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Thanks John for the suggestions… I’ve never tried Sukiya as I’ve only been eating at Yoshinoya in the Chiba area. I have had CoCo Ichiban–Japanese curry houses rock!
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Great post ! Down in Okinawa, Ramen and Soba shops are the best deals for your buck and some places Bentos go fairly cheap. Watch the locals; where they go for an economical lunch is probably your best bet.
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Mike san, I’ve always wanted to go to Okinawa. I’ve found the best onigiri (rice ball) places, bakeries, soba shops this way just by people watching, and quietly following groups. Bentos are also a good deal– I usually eat till I’m half full, fill the rest of my tummy with water or milk, and save the other half of bento for breakfast the next day. 2 meals in one–not bad.
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When I was in Tokyo, I lived off of Gyudon places in the city. Occasionally, I might eat something more american, but I was there for the experience, right? Yoshinoya was my normal location and now that I am back home, I have huge cravings to sit at a bar type table, order Gyudon and Green tea and just enjoy it. Instead? Yoshinoya in a packet with microwaved rice.
A man can dream.
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Family Mart! That and Hotto Motto have always been my favorite choices when I am in a rush and scrounging around the bottom of my car hoping to find some yen! You’re absolutely right, Mike. The best soba places I’ve found have been the ones my Okinawan friends have showed me which usually end up being rickety outdoor shacks and small kitchens with minimum seating.
Great post!↵
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