If you’re looking for extreme cost saving tips like “buying the department store food at the end of the day before it expires” or “take the overnight bus and be uncomfortable all night long to save money” type of advice, then this blog post is not for you.
These are my (self-proclaimed) reasonable ways to still have a full, memorable and good quality holiday in Japan – just by knowing a bit more before you go.
1. Eat out at lunch instead of dinner.
I’m not saying skip dinner or anything crazy like that – but if you have a personal bucket list of all the Japanese dishes you want to try then move the big ticket items to lunch.
For example – in my Kobe with Kids article I mention one of my recommended Kobe Beef restaurants. Their lunch is approximately 6000 yen per adult – while, if you go for dinner – dinner courses start at 10,000 yen.
Or in my Shibuya with kids post I speak of Kinka Sushi who serve omakase sushi lunch for 1200 yen while their omakase dinner options range from 2,200-5000 yen.
Or Tempura Tsunamachi in my Shinjuku with kids post has the most incredible high end tempura lunch sets for 2500 yen , which dinner prices start at double that amount.
There are a few reasons that lunch prices are much less over dinner.
The quality and standard of the meal is high. However, lunch is considered to be a much lighter meal in Japan – which is why “sets” -as in a “lunch set” (or “teishoku” if you’re in a traditional Japanese restaurant) are so popular. The portions are often a little smaller and the meal comes with sides such as a small salad and rice and bread.
Lunches are, in business hubs, also a great way for restaurants to serve a large portion of customers quickly. Restaurants know that customers will want to eat good quality meals in a more casual lunch setting – in the hopes that they will return again for a slow, lush and boozy dinner with their colleagues or family at a later date.
So, the clever way to keep an eye on your food budget is to eat the expensive dishes at lunch and then go for a more casual izakaya (Japanese style pub where everyone shares lots of small affordable dishes) or use dinner time to up your salad and veggie quota for the day with salads, soups or ramen etc. Dinner is also a great time to try out casual rice bowl chain restaurants like Yoshinoya or Matsuya or even curry rice chain Cocoichibanya. Or how about a Standing Gyoza and Champagne bar? (I have suggestions in my Akasaka with kids guide and also my write up on Kyoto with kids.)
2. Bring a water bottle and refill using the MyMizu app
This app shows you all the public spaces and restaurants that are happy for you to fill up your water bottle when passing by.
3. Make sure you mix in free options and entry fee options
Here, for example, is a list of my favourite free things to do in Tokyo
