Top 9 meals you need to taste when travelling in Tokyo
I've been in Japan last month and I found amazing experience about the lost and found culture in JAPAN. The criminal rate in Japan is pretty low, so you don't need to worry about your wallet/purse getting stolen inside the train or whatsoever. More over, when you forget or lost your things, just come to a near police station (or koban) to ask if someone has returned your missing item. It works most of the time, but I got one unlucky day, because I lost something aroudn Shibuya station in the day that I come back to my home country. So I haven't got it back. Meanwhile, my friend has get his lost bag back in Hakone. But I don't want to talk the details about lost and found system in Japan in this post, let's talk about the food!
Meal in Tokyo is not that expensive, it's surprisingly cheap if you know where to buy your meal. This delicious looking bento only cost you about 300-500 yen, and you can find it in Akihabara area. The auntie is very friendly and helpful, you can ask her to warm your bento with the microwave.
You can find a meal that cost unreasonably expensive (like kobe wagyu beef or michelin star restaurant), but also a good "value of money" meal in Tokyo. Most of the popular food in tourist spot is overpriced with long queue, since time is money, I think you need to stay away from this kind of restaurant. Best place to find cheap delicious food is in UENO area when many office worker in Japan get their meal. It cost half price compare to other prestigious area such as Ginza, Roppongi, etc.
In most ramen, sushi and gyudon restaurant, you don't need to order flavored drink to save money. Most of the time, they will give you free cold/hot ocha or water.
When I was in Tokyo, I've tried many popular food, and this is my suggestion:
1. Convenience Store Frozen Food
What you can expect from Japan is abundant variety of meal to choose. You can eat different meal every day a whole month. Many of blogs reccomend you to buy food in convenience store to save budget. Let me tell you the opposite way... "Convenience Store Frozen Food is not that cheap". Why?
Because with same price, I can find another hot meal in a ramen shop, udon shop or a tonkatsu shop.
Although it's okay if you try once or twice because of the curiousity.
I've tried frozen food from seven eleven, lawson, family market, department store market, and it's good but it's pricey. It will cost you around 350 yen to 650 yen. With that money I can buy ramen, soba, tonkatsu, donburi, gyudon or even 6 plates of sushi in kaiten sushi shop. The frozen onigiri, although it's cheap and only cost you about 110 yen, the size is not enough for me to satisfy my apetite.
2. Pablo Cheese cake in Shibuya
I tried the original and the green tea one. I suggest you to buy the original one. The green tea taste good but it's overpowered the cheese cake, even more it has a mochi and red bean paste inside. Not my favorite and it's more pricey too! The original only cost you 800 yen, while the green tea cost you about 1100 yen.
3. Marion Crepes in Harajuku
I queed for a couple of minutes, although it taste good but it isn't that great. I mean, you could find any similar taste looking crepes in other places around Tokyo. The price is diverse, from 350 to 550 yen.
4. Ramen
There is a lot of Ramen shop in Tokyo. The price is different, mostly depends on the location. I've tried 4 stalls, one is kinda dissapointing although it's more expensive (a popular spot in Hakone), 3 is great. Maybe what's important for the ramen is the toping that served in each shop. A good shop will give you more topping (Like pork meat, eggs, nori, etc) with reasonable price than the other.
5. Soba
This one is the same like when you eat Ramen. The price is different, mostly depends on the location. Mostly it's cheap and below 500yen. One of cheapest food you can find in Tokyo, along with gyudon shop. You can buy some side dish (mostly fried) to accompany the meal. I reccomend to try marugame udon or sanuki udon for starter. You can find the joints all around Tokyo.
5. Gyudon
Rice with sliced of meat. It taste awesome and it's cheap. It will only cost you around 350 yen to 550 yen depends on the size of your bowl. Try a dist that accompanied with raw egg. It's fresh. One of meal when you're in tight budget.
6. Bread and cake
I love Tokyo, because there is a lot of delicious bread you can found there. It's not that expensive too. One bread may cost you from 100 yen to 350 yen. Japan is popular with their bread and cake creation, so don't miss it.
7. Snacks / Omiyage
Oh, another things you could try. Although you can buy many souvenir food from Odaiba, Tokyo Tower or other tourist spot... it's cheaper if you bring home a snacks from convenience/department store. Yeah I know, the appearance of many souvenir food is so cute, beautiful and makes you want to buy it. But most of the taste is average.... Well, don't bite me. I know it taste good, but to think that one snacks will cost you from 500 yen to 2000 yen.. it's kinda overpriced, especially if you're on budget.
8.Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki
I tried one in Odaiba. It's 800 yen and taste good but not that awesome, nevertheless it was broadcasted in Tv station before. On another shot, I triend to order the same dish in unpopular okonomiyaki shop, and surprisingly it tastes better. Try a takoyaki stall that you can find in Akihabara or Shibuya. It's delicious and it will cost you around 400 yen (for 6 balls) or 550 yen (for 8 balls)
9. Sushi
I've tried some sushi restaurant when I was in Tokyo. From the kaiten sushi, I can eat as much as I want and it only cost me around 1200 yen. It's even cheaper than when I eat sushi in my home country. Importantly it's fresh. There is a joint which taste better than other joint.
Then I tried to another restaurant which have a chef in front of you. It cost me more, and surprisingly I have a bad experience there. I have an overpriced food and it is not that fresh. One plate cost me 500 yen there! Maybe because it's almost midnight or they are going to close, but I found the sushi that they're served there is not fresh. I stop eating after my 5th plate.
Thankfully, when I tried another sushi restaurant near Tsukiji, it gave me a wonderful experience. It cost me about 2000 yen.
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