The Eastern Capital is known as much for its food as for its high prices. As one of the world’s most expensive cities, Tokyo’s restaurant scene might seem like a natural enemy to your precious vacation fund, but a little insider information will turn those worries into savings. Sweet, teriyaki-glazed savings.
Eat a Big Lunch
While the dinner prices of many Tokyo restaurants can look intimidating, most establishments offer reasonable lunch specials. If you go big on lunch and opt for a lighter dinner, you’ll have plenty of yen left over to grab some of Tokyo’s famous dorayaki for dessert.
Eat at Department Stores
Common sense tells us if we want to save money, we should avoid tourist hot spots. But that’s only half of the equation. Where do you go from there? The first stop on your list should be department stores. More specifically, the diners beneath department stores. Tokyo is brimming with shopping centers, most of which boast small, modest basement diners, and the food there is fantastic, inexpensive and no-nonsense. You’ll feel you’ve discovered a local secret.
Cheaper Real Estate
If you’re willing to venture off the beaten path for some fairly priced, authentic, Japanese cuisine, you’ll want to explore the northern and eastern areas of the city, such as Ikebukuro and Senjuvisit. There you’ll find a more working-class aesthetic that’s generous to your wallet and to your stomach.
Budget Restaurants
While downtown Tokyo is generally quite pricey, there are exceptions to every rule. If you take a few minutes to research highly-rated budget restaurants, you’re bound to find one you like. For example, sushi lovers might try Nemuro Hanamaru, a surprisingly tasty conveyor-belt sushi shop in the Kitte Shopping Mall. If you’ve come for the seafood, head to Nogizaka Uoshin, a casual fish-shack style eatery in midtown Roppongi. And if soba noodles are your thing, stop by the century-old Tokyo landmark, Kanda Yabu Soba.
Read This Next
Dine Out on a Budget in Boston
Destination
Sep 14, 2014#TrazeeTravel
Insta FeedFood & Drink
Apr 23, 2024Myrtle Beach is Launching an Official Destination Beer
Looking for the perfect beach beer? Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has you covered. Last month, the destination partnered with Grand Strand Brewing Company to release the official beer of Myrtle Beach, dubbed Beach Easy.
Sponsored Content
Greece: A Life-Changing Experience
Experience the life-changing destination of Greece by exploring its island gems in the Ionian Sea. Scattered off the western coastline of Central Greece, to the south of Peloponnese, the Ionian Islands are an island group comprising large and small islands.
Slideshow
Apr 23, 20247 Must-See Sites in Curaçao
It’s time to start dreaming of your next trip. Here are seven must-see sites in Curaçao.
Surveys
Apr 23, 2024Going the Distance: Which Airports Have the Longest Walks?
You’re in between flights and ready to find a coffee and your next gate and settle in. But then you find the signs to your gate and look down the impossibly long corridor and wonder how you managed to have the gate at the opposite end of the airport.
Sponsored Content
Your Home Away from Home in Dallas
Open spaces, open thinking and open expression thrive at Aloft Dallas Downtown.
Keep Your Road Trip Smelling Good with Purggo
The last thing you want during a road trip? A stinky car. Luckily, Purggo is here to help —without filling your car with a bunch of nasty chemicals that really only just make you cough and cover up the stench for a short time.
ShareThis