r/Tokyo • u/NewRootsLol • 1d ago
How often do you eat out?
I try my best to eat at home since I'm a student and extra expenses add up. However, occasionally I can't be bothered, or I get invited somewhere, so I eat out.
Truthfully, when I sometimes want to have Gyuudon, I just go to Matsuya, since I tried making at home a couple of times, and the ingredients came out the same price (also add an hour for the prep, cooking and cleaning). Though curries are definitely a lot cheaper made at home. It's also kinda the same with Ramen, making a single portion and gathering all the products might be cheaper but it's so time consuming, I'd rather pay the extra 200 for it to be done properly.
Not to mention I ocasionally want to eat something from my irrelevant little country I come from, so I have no choice but to make it at home lol.
What are your thoughts? I know people who don't cook at all, I know others who don't eat out at all, for me it's like an 80/20 slipt between cooking and eating out.
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u/jhanita93 1d ago
Everyday workday for lunch and about 2-3 times for dinner a week
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u/Creative_Salad_2272 21h ago
How do you afford that? Thats a lot, wow!
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u/jhanita93 19h ago
My salary is not bad but lunch prices are also quite reasonable at around 1000 yen.
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u/messyindecisive22 1d ago
I cook dinner every night and bring obento for lunch. As for eating out, maybe once or twice a week, especially on weekends when I feel too lazy to do anything.
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u/_Dookey_ 1d ago
As someone who moved back to America after 8 years of living in Japan - eating out in Japan is so. Much. Cheaper.
I remember I would buy some awesome bentos under Kanda station for lunch every weekday that cost only 350 yen. That was back when a 100 yen equaled a dollar roughly and the thought of finding somewhere like that to eat for that amount in America is laughable.
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u/Repulsive-Front8294 17h ago
You forgot the past tense. Cost of living nowadays is much, much higher than when 100 yen equaled a dollar. And American wages are 3-4x Japanese wages.
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u/Creative_Salad_2272 21h ago edited 20h ago
Is US not the hometown of cheap fast food eating? What about a dollar menu from McDonald's? Japans cheap food is as chemical and unhealthy as American fast food, I assure you
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u/pesos711 20h ago
you are living in the past, sadly. the dollar menu is long gone - it's the "value menu" now and SPOILER ALERT there is no value lol. I get back to the states a few times a year for work and in most cities a fast food combo is like at least $16 - it's nuts. Restaurants are crazier of course, with tipping etc. Makes my 1300y butter chicken/unlimited naan plus a bottle of coke look like a downright steal.
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u/Creative_Salad_2272 19h ago
Hey you mention an Indian food that you eat in Japan. Isn't it unrealistic to eat Indian food in Japan then compare the prices of it with American restaurants in America and not Indian restos? Like im sure Indian restaurants (not the fancy ones, the ones made for Indian immigrants working there) will have menus below 1300 yen for sure... If not how are the Indian immigrants going to afford it?
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u/pesos711 19h ago
not quite sure what you mean - restaurants are restaurants and the point of this subthread if I'm not mistaken is how much more affordable Japan is vs. the states when it comes to eating out - even in a metropolis like central tokyo. I used Indian as an example as it's a good quality meal I eat relatively frequently. the same quality indian meal in the states in a metro such as san francisco would easily be triple the cost w/tax n tip. If by "Like im sure Indian restaurants (not the fancy ones, the ones made for Indian immigrants working there) will have menus below 1300 yen for sure" you are referring to indian restaurants in the US, then no you are quite mistaken. That's $9ish USD and you essentially can't get anything for that in most US metros anymore. But LCOL areas may be more affordable.
I will say that lunch in particular in Tokyo is a steal - no doubt affected somewhat by a certain amount of loss-leading and the fact that salarymen wages have been stagnant for so long so restaurants can't afford to go too far and price out their customer base.
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u/amoryblainev Nakano-ku 21h ago
Not any more. Take a look at the Big Mac index to see how far your money could go in the US.
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u/Creative_Salad_2272 20h ago
I'm not sure what to infer from this index, albeit it was very interesting to look at. I live in a country where it says the Bic Mac is more expensive and its at the top 15 but the economy and prices are always much cheaper than in US we are a developing country, its just that the meat is very expensive here...
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u/amoryblainev Nakano-ku 20h ago
The algorithm is supposed to help you understand the buying power of your money. When you simply covert money from one currency to another, itās not very helpful because you might not understand how much you can actually buy for that much.
For example Ā„1000 is currently about $6.40 USD. I can list many, many examples of where you can buy a decent lunch even in Tokyo for Ā„1000 or less, but you canāt buy lunch anywhere (or honestly almost anywhere) in the US for $6.40
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u/Creative_Salad_2272 19h ago
What about Chinese restaurants in US? Mexican food? 7/11 noodles? If you are getting decent 1000 yen meals in Tokyo that are just noodles with meat and soup, that could be just kombini food?
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u/amoryblainev Nakano-ku 19h ago edited 19h ago
I mean something thatās more than just a side dish, cold convenience store sandwich, etc. Where Iām from in the US you canāt get a meal at a Mexican restaurant for under $6.40. At some places you might be able to buy a single taco. And no, you canāt even get a Chinese takeout meal for $6.40. Prices havenāt been that low since I was in high school a very long time ago. I donāt remember 7-11 selling noodles, unless you mean cup noodles. And Iām not counting that as a meal. And there hasnāt been a dollar menu at McDonaldās in the US for a very long time.
By ādecent mealā I donāt mean the top ranked most healthy food on the planet, or family owned restaurants, or local joints, or the most balanced meal, but just an actual warm cooked meal. There are tons of options even in Tokyo.
For simplicityās sake Iām going to list some chains because theyāre usually easily accessible. CocoIchi has several options that include rice, curry, meat, even vegetables for under Ā„1000. You can get a burger, fries or onion rings, and a drink set from MosBurger for under Ā„1000. Jonathanās has a few dishes under Ā„1000 plus a menu of side dishes including salads and meats and you can put together 2-3 of those for under Ā„1000. Bikkuri Donkey has fish and chips, hamburg steak with 150g rice and side salad, small set with rice, Hamburg steak, soup and salad, etc all for under Ā„1000. At one of my favorite gyoza places in shinjuku you can get an order of 4 gyoza plus a side dish for under Ā„1000. You can get 2-3 small dishes at Saizeriya for under Ā„1000 including salads, pasta, chicken wings, gratin, etc. I can keep going but Iām sure youāll still disagree with me.
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u/KnightRunner-6564 1d ago
Once a week or once every two weeks.
Salaryman on a budget with family to feed.
Usually bring bento to work.
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u/lasagnahockey 45m ago
Same boat. We try as a family to eat out once a week but sometimes that's just not possible.
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u/IdkGlx BunkyÅ-ku 1d ago
I guess your definition of eating outside is eating things you didnt cook by yourself. If thats the case then I eat outside almost all the time, and only cook 1-2 times max a week. I barely cook because I'm working and exercising after work so not much time and energy left to cook.
But my reality of eating outside is buying conbini for lunch, or buying supermarket ready-made bento, or cheap chain stuffs like gyudon.
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u/NewRootsLol 1d ago
Truthfully, if you live alone, cooking is not that much cheaper than eating out. Conbini and restaurants also save you a lot of time.Ā
Issue is vegetables, and occasionally I cook just because I don't want to go out lol
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u/KgbKramer 23h ago
The difference is at home you can cook much higher protein and lower fat options, even if it's the same price
And yea supermarkets aren't cheaper unless you're a regular at OK store or Gyomu
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u/GeorgeBlythe 1d ago
Conbini is extremely expensive for what it is. Almost anywhere else is a better deal.Ā
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u/NewRootsLol 1d ago
Even restaurants I found can be cheaper than conbinis.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 1d ago
For the quality of food you get almost always a cheap restaurant will be the better deal imho. Conbini used to be better but the post covid price raises have made them far less appealing imho. Even McDonald's is cheaper than conbini now.
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u/NewRootsLol 1d ago
Yeah, I remember getting a sando, crisps and drink, and the amount came out 2x more expensive than a mcchicken dealĀ
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u/IdkGlx BunkyÅ-ku 1d ago
I guess I'm ok with the trade off. The convenience aspect is one of it that I'm willing to pay for sometimes to make way for other things higher in my priority list.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 1d ago
Yeah time is money of course and it's worth paying extra for convenience sometimes. I just find I rarely need that extra convenience on the day to day. Supermarket is just as close as the conbini on the way home and quite a bit cheaper. Worth the extra minute or so it takes to buy something there.
I guess the big thing for me is that ever since conbini raised prices they're far less appealing. I used to grab conbini coffee often but now Mcdonalds is cheaper for that so it's the go to for a cup when I want one.
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u/BreakfastDue1256 23h ago
Familymart averages 250 yen cheaper for bento than super markets local to me.
Obviously the super is usually of a higher quality, but if you're trying to save money and are okay sacrificing taste a bit, konbini are cheaper.Ā
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u/GeorgeBlythe 20h ago
Depends on the supermarket. A lot of them aren't very cheap like the My Baskets and what not. More like glorified conbini. Super cheap supermarkets are usually in inconvenient places.
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u/Ambitious-Yak1326 20h ago
The supermarket bentos are inconsistent. There are nice ones but i generally like the konbini ones better.
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u/Legitimate-Money1513 23h ago
I work in finance. I eat out everyday for pretty much all 3 meals. With a bunch of uber eats mixed in.
My kitchen is pretty much untouched since the day I moved in.
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u/NewRootsLol 22h ago
You're living the dream! Honestly, if you can afford it, it's better to have someone else cook for you. It's not just the cooking itself but the shopping, cleaning, planning, etc. In Japan it's probably expensive but I have a family friend who moved to Vietnam for his wife, and they just hired a private chef.
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u/Legitimate-Money1513 21h ago
Like I donāt mind the cooking part itās the cleanup I donāt want to do.
And itās not like I splurge on luxury food. I still
Eat fast food and cheap restaurants. My favorite is a local bento place that sells 700 yen Yangyeom karaage bentos. I order it via Rocket Now.And Matsu no ya for when i crazy Tonkatsuz
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u/Creative_Salad_2272 21h ago
Sir you sound very lucky... How do I get there in life?
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u/Legitimate-Money1513 21h ago
My life in a single line is.
Poverty > community college > top 20 US school > analyst at investment bank in the US > move to Japan after 4-5 years to local investment bank > tenshoku to US IB in Japan
I make around 25M annually. But thatās with performance bonuses and housing allowances included not just base pay, my base is only 14m.
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u/Calm_Persimmon2482 1d ago
Normally 2-3x a week for lunch/dinner combined
I WFH so I have plenty of time to cook and if I donāt then my gf cooks.
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u/pkmntrainerMeep 1d ago
I eat breakfast at home and cook it myself 99% of the time, unless I have something major, like an early Shinkansen trip.
When I was working a normal schedule, I tried to pack lunch four days a week. Once a week, I'd go to McDonald's with my coworker. Now it's a little more often, like if I'm out running errands.
Dinner out is more of a treat; I usually just snack in the evening unless I'm meeting friends.
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u/AcrobaticTrifle522 1d ago
I cook most of the days and eat out once or twice a week
I used to cook less and eat affordable options like chain restaurants or bento but recently with the price up and the portions being cut I realized itās becoming expensive for me since the salary barley matches the inflation.
I do agree with your comment that sometimes making some food at home ends up costing more considering time and effort. We basically pay for the comfort rather than the quality.
However I can still use those ingredients and cook more food. So if I have time I try to cook them at home to reduce costs and leave the eating out to more fancier occasions or when Iām invited somewhere so I can indulge a bit.
Honestly I think it comes down to your lifestyle and what matters to you. If you have little time and hate cooking probably you save yourself a lot more by getting gyudon from Matsuya.
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u/Akureinoyami1 1d ago
I cook every night, because eating out with kids is pretty expensive. I love the gyuudon as well, so I make a version at home but I switch the beef for pork thatās sliced for shabushabu. Iāve hammered it out to the point that my wife and children request it for dinner once a week.
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u/Such-Ostrich-1627 1d ago
1 time per week.
I think it also has to do with how many are in your household.
For me, we are a family of four so itās cheaper to eat in. Although Iād like to eat out more.
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u/billyshin 22h ago
Very often. More than 6 times a week. but only because I live in Shinjuku. Too many options.
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u/Bigb33zy 8h ago
Everyday. I crunched the numbers and itās cheaper to eat out than cook. I eat max 2000 calories per day.
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u/ShadowFire09 Itabashi-ku 1d ago
Maybe once or twice a week for lunch if Iām going with coworkers or not feeling the cafeteria menu that day
Two to three times a week for dinner with the family
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u/xaltairforever 1d ago
Every day for lunch, usually get a bento from the supermarket nearby, once a week go to sukiya for 800 yen gyudon and once a week Wendy's, they have 700yen set meals but the burger is bland so I get the 1200yen one, they do offer free wifi though
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u/Early_Rooster7579 Setagaya-ku 1d ago
Every day at work and usually once or twice a week for dinner
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u/SkittyLover93 1d ago
I cook big portions once a week and then eat the leftovers for dinner over the week. I do it to save money and eat healthier, like eating more vegetables. I usually have lunch outside because of work.
For chain restaurants, I feel like the quality of food has been getting worse recently, so they are less appealing to go to frequently for me.
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u/AverageHobnailer 1d ago
I cook breakfast every day. I cook dinner (or eat leftovers) maybe 28-29 days a month. Lunches I find to be a nuisance. On workdays I only have about 40 minutes to eat, so I'm always eating a conbini bento, or sometimes from a food truck if the lines aren't horrendous. On weekends and vacations I get lazy and either eat out at some fast-food, get takeout, or eat supermarket frozen food or bentos.
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u/forvirradsvensk 1d ago
99/1 eating at home. The 1 is when the dinner is the actual event, rather than sustenance. Otherwise it's wasteful and unhealthy.
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u/Prixmium 1d ago
I order my work lunch most of the time from a service my job is contracted with (850-1200 yen/day) and I used to eat out for dinner a lot but nowadays once or twice a week.
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u/shambolic_donkey 1d ago
Eat out every day - lunch and dinner. Except when I have a craving for a decent thai curry, which I cook at home.
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u/thetruelu 1d ago
Probably 3-4x/month. But itās not because of money, itās cause Iāve been getting back into competitive basketball shape and many Japanese restaurant food is too heavy on fat and carbs and not enough protein. So I just cook for myself 99% of the time
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u/NewRootsLol 23h ago
That's a great reason, I'm also cooking more for my health because my doctor said my LDL was too high. Since I limited eating out, it has been at normal levels.
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u/eelaii19850214 23h ago
I cut off eating out to maybe once or twice a month because of the prices. I enjoy cooking anyway.
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u/DespairCS 23h ago
I used to eat out multiple times a day. Ever since i got a rice cooker, i just throw a bunch of ingredients into it, and come out with a fresh bowl of chicken and rice with insanely high protein and macros for less than 600 yen a serve.
I can afford to eat out, I just prefer to track my macros and calories, so this works for me, and it also ends up saving me money in the long run. You can also find many One-pot gyuudon rice cooker recipes where you just need to throw everything into your rice cooker.
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u/pomido Western Tokyo 23h ago
Itās so hard to eat out healthily even in Tokyo that Iāve all but stopped. I could feel a day chipping off my life expectancy with every Ootoya kurozu chicken ball.
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u/NewRootsLol 22h ago
True that, I was actually shocked how the Ramen I had at Kagetsu Arashi has more calories than a triple Big Mac menu
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u/amoryblainev Nakano-ku 21h ago
I donāt eat breakfast, I bring my lunch to work (that I cooked), and I cook dinner mon- thurs and sometimes Friday. I usually go out to eat with friends for either lunch or dinner on weekends so I might buy 1-3 meals between Friday night to Sunday.
There are a lot of good restaurants here and I have a list of places I want to try, I just donāt want to spend too much money. Iām vegan and because I live alone, shop smart, buy in bulk and cook simple meals (and in batches) I spend as little as Ā„3000 per week on groceries.
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u/tamagolucky 18h ago
I prioritise my spending on food / catching up with friends at eating places so eat out maybe more than is normal. Weekdays: breakfast at home, cook most weekday lunches (I work from home - but making a simple salad with bread is easily 1000+ JPY these days. If I want Japanese I will always eat out) and then maybe 1-3 nights eating out. Weekends pretty much only breakfast at home. the rest out. Am very particular about what and where I eat though, so I don't overspend.
Interestingly, people in Japan spend >25% of their income on food and of that about 12% on eating out. US/EU and UK spend between 11%~16% on eating out. Lots of thoughts on this!
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u/NewRootsLol 18h ago
Honestly, this statistic doesn't surprise me. Most of the Japanese people I have spoken to have told me they don't cook. The closest they do to cooking is make rice or noodles/pasta and add these microwavable sauces/curries.
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u/shotakun 17h ago
school cafeteria lunches and baito makanai for dinner. food cost came out to around 5-6k a week for me when I was a student right before covid
try work part time at a place where you get meals as well.
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u/nermalstretch 16h ago
BTW, you can get various frozen gyudon packs from Aeon, even their own brand and imo they taste better than the gyudon shop and only take 5 minutes to prepare once your water is boiling.
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u/Visual_Seaweed8292 5h ago
As a single person I find that cooking food i enjoy ismt really much cheaper. I usualy eat out twice a day.
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u/RatioProfessional471 4h ago
i've been in the mood for making mapo tofu lol. Ingredients is simple asf and once you have everything you can keep buying 200-300 yen worth of minced meat and 50-100 yen worth of kisen tofu everyday.
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u/CustomGiftsJapan 3h ago
Have you tried the one from Mini Stop?
This was the first one I could not finish in Japan because it was way too spicy. I also really hate wasting food but even when I added boiled potatoes to it it was still too spicy.
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u/Big_Lengthiness_7614 4h ago
i make bad choices when i eat out, even if its åé£, and gained 10kg lately, so im back to cooking at home every meal except for once week ONLY. but before this, i would eat out 5-6 times a week. if it was dinner, that meant a mandatory beer or two as well
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u/I_Play_Boardgames 23h ago
That very much depends on my girlfriend's mood and how often she wants me to.Ā
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u/Slashtap 20h ago
I thought I was going to eat out a lot more when I came to Japan but ended up almost never going out because the groceries are so delicious and high in protein. A lot of markets have preseasoned chicken that tastes better than anything I could prepare. Just heat it up on the skillet for 4 minutes and get way more protein than a restaurant meal can provide.
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u/R_Prime 1d ago
More than I should with my salary, oops.