Inexpensive Lunch in Tokyo
Save money in Tokyo with the foods the local folks eat
Today I can see a lot of visitors and guests who are from overseas in and around Tokyo.
As a native Japanese, sometimes I wonder where those people go to eat and what they eat. The chances are that probably they might end up eating at a McDonald's or some posh restaurant in the hotel they are staying at.
When you are in the Tokyo area (or wherever in Japan in this context), you can probably enjoy your local meal like sushi or sashimi if you are accompanied by a local (i.e., Japanese) friend (or co-worker) of yours or two. (I assume such a Japanese speaks pretty good English so that s/he can communicate with you.)
That would be easy because she or he can help you with most nitty-gritty part of eating out in Japan: reading menus and ordering in Japanese.
Of course, if you are very fluent in Japanese and have guts to go to eat where you find no "gaijin" at all but just yourself, you are going to be all right. But I have seldom seen such a visitor at inexpensive but pretty good restaurants or eateries to which I often go. That is one of the reasons to write about this topic in here.
I do understand that it is a quite challenge for you, unless you are a Japanese-ready visitor like I just mentioned, to get into a local fast food restaurant or convenience store and eat whatever the locals take.
That is because most waiters/waitresses or stuff at local restaurants in Japan do neither speak nor understand English or other languages.
However, if you do so, I believe it will be a very eye-opening and exciting experience for you during your stay in Tokyo no matter how long you stay in this country. (In my case, I try to eat what the locals do when I travel outside Japan, needless to say.)
All you need is some knowledge about the food, hopefully some knowledge about the Japanese language, and, most importantly, your guts and willingness to try new things.
In this hub thing, I would be really happy to help you with your next lunch (or breakfast or whatever) for less and for fun.
In my hub topics, I am going to cover some of popular fast-food restaurants in the metropolitan Tokyo area and give tips on the menus, how to order (with some easy Japanese conversation phrases that you can remember and use), and any precautions that you may want to keep in mind.
Lastly, isn't that kinda cool to be in a Yoshinoya and eat a bowl of gyudon (beef bowl) like a Japanese?
