Tips on saving money and eating out in Japan.

Even though I don't eat out a lot when I do, I like to get my moneys worth. That being said Japan is not the cheapest place to eat, especially if you like to eat a lot. Sure you can find cheap eats here and there but in many of those places they fill you up with rice or bread and not the things that really count, like meat or fish.

So how do you eat out and still save money at the same  time? The answer is simple find good tabehoudai （食べ放題 tabehoudai in means all you can eat）restaurants.  When you enter a restaurant that has this option it means that for a set amount of time you can eat anything you want on that given tabehoudai menu. Some restaurants have different options for example options for time, 60min 90min or 120min. Others might have an option for the amount of dishes. So if a tabehoudai costs ￥2000 yen for 60 mins you might have the option of choosing from 30 dishes. The more you pay the more dishes will be available to you.

From the above menu you would pay ￥2,680 + tax which gives you access to 58 dishes to chose from.

From a foreigners perspective this might seem crazy but the concept is genius.  Here is how I rationalize it. Most Japanese people don't eat a lot so when they do order the tabehoudai the customer loses money because they get full pretty fast. Also most Japanese people drink alcohol when they go out  and alcohol fills you up pretty fast. Most tabehoudai menus come with a nomihoudai (飲み放題nomihoudai means all you can drink) option as well. From my understanding that's how most of these places make money. What is also worth knowing is that if two people sit down at a table to eat then they have to order the same tabehoudai menu. This makes sense because sharing food from different price menus would sort of be unfair to the restaurant. 

Now here is how I save money when I go out. First up it's important to know that I eat a lot. And I don't mean just a little above average. As a bodybuilder I'm used to eating small meals throughout the day so normally i'm never really full and I have to learn to live with the feeling of never being really full. Also due to the fact that I eat frequently my stomach is  in a expanded state most of the time, unless i'm fasting and it shrink a bit.

When I go out, I try to make the experience worth it,  I go all out, and when these times come around all restrictions are taken off and I go in. So when these times come around I look for places that have tabehoudai and I don't order the nomihoudai menu because I don't drink a lot. Also here is a pro foodie tip, if you want to eat more drink less. Water just takes up space in your stomach that could be used for food. Also sodas and beer also fill you up with gas pretty fast so those are a no go too. I tend to save my liquids which is normally water or green tea for after the meal. I think I got this from my parents who insisted that I drank my juice or water after my dinner at nights. So huge shout out to my parents for prepping me to be a master foodie. By having your drink last you can focus on having a taste of everything on the menu. Also in Japan and i'm assuming most other countries it's never a good idea to leave food on your plate. With that being said only order what you can eat. food waste is a huge problem globally so be cognizant of your own limit and stick within it.

Another example of a tabehoudai menu. You really can't go wrong. 

Now if you're a drinker then opt for nomihoudais or shoot for happy hour at most bars. You can pregame with happy hour cocktails then cruise the rest of the night once you're a bit buzzed or tipsy. 

If you want to get delicious food to take home and eat then I suggest visiting huge department stores or train stations. They normally have a food court on the basement floor and these food courts sell amazingly good food. If you go during the day then you'll pay top dollar for most of these food items but if you're patient and you have the time then you should wait until it's almost closing time. That is when all the discounts and the half off or or 80% discounts come in. In Japan a lot of food gets thrown away because of the strict food polices here. If food is left out too long or it goes past its expiration date then it gets disposed of. In many of these cases the expiration dates come way too fast in my opinion. I've had tonnes of food past their expiration date and I've been fine. just don't push it too far, try to stick to a week after the date and you'll be good in most cases. But back to the basement floor food courts, because of these strict rules no ones wants to have food left over so the vendors try to sell everything at a discount. If you're lucky and you time certain places right you might even get two items at the price of half the price of one. 

These discounts also extend to supermarket or convenience store bentos (弁当箱 Japanese lunch box) and food items like meats and fish. That's why many people do their shopping at night near to the time the supermarket closes. That way they can scoop up all the good deals and save some money.

Bento meal with a 30% discount.

There you have it guys. If you want to save some cash then I suggest following these tips when travelling in Japan.