Yeah, excluding travel, Japan can honestly be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.

Only it if weren't so salty.... I'm on sodium restriction and some meals in those places are quite salty....

Yoshinoya and Ramen is good and all.... once or twice...
Isn't the biggest part of visiting another culture enjoying the food it has to offer?

What I didn't express very well in my last post was that if I were coming to Japan for just a visit, and not living here, I'd save up to really enjoy the best the place has to offer, not just the cheap stuff.

Especially in Japan where there is such a huge range and variety of food to have. And most cities have their own specialties too.

Very true.. especially Yoshinoya and a couple of ramen place i found @ Kyoto station...

That approach is like coming to America and eating at McDonalds and KFC. Yes, they are "real" American food........ but likely that is not the way one wants to spend a vacation eating.

True... a lot of Americans (unfortunately for our health care system) DO eat this way. And a lot of Japanese DO eat a lot at Yoshinoya and ramen shops.

A McDonalds as compared to a good American steak house is a good comparison for Yoshinoya to a Kyoto kaiseki place. Both ARE "American food". (Actually, no it is not... the good food in Kyoto is far better than the best American steak house I have ever been in.)

If one is OK with eating a McDonalds / KFC / Dunkin Donuts diet in the USA... then the Yoshinoya approach in Japan is certainly viable . And if money is an issue... it is clearly an option. At least the food from those places in Japan will be better tasting and generally healthier.

But you'd be missing a lot.

best,

............john

John and James, I don't disagree at all, I am just saying, there are cheap alternatives. My wife love Ramen, so it wasn't that bad, but we tried all kind of differnt food too... the killer was at an onsen resort, my uncle booked that for us as our wedding gift, Kaiseki ryori for 3 meals... then, his son (my cousin) took us out for teppanyaki..

And we had A LOT of street food...

Something I didn't see anyone mention is the use of credit cards in Japan.

I could be wrong, but on our first trip we learned the hard way that they're just not used like they are in America. At home, we rarely carry cash and stupidly assumed it wouldn't be an issue in Japan. Now, we know not to rely on them at all!

If that has changed in the past 8 years, I haven't noticed because we're still carrying cash. ;)

Best be prepared.

Great point, Pattie.

Other than the higher end places.... credit cards (especially non-Japanese issued ones) are still not readily taken. it is getting more widespread... but it is FAR from easy to do.

Cash is king in the land of computers! :confused: :rolleyes: :confused:

best,

..............john

Absolutely true. The key point is traveling between cities.

I agree with this. I could easily spend 100+ dollars a day on food in Japan without thinking. It would take me an effort if I were staying at a hotel to spend less than 3000 yen in a day on food.

Really? If I am spending just a couple thousand yen, I always used cash, but if was over 5000 or 10,000 I never had a problem using my VISA card.