100 Yen Rice Balls!

Rice Balls or Onigiri are a very popular Japanese food. It is a ball of rice with some sort of filling and usually wrapped with dried seaweed. It is very easy and convenient to eat. Maybe like a Japanese version of a sandwich. There are many kinds of rice balls. For example, there is tuna salad, dried fish, and sour plum. Right now, 7 Eleven is having a sale on rice balls. All rice balls up to 150 yen are discounted to 100 yen. All rice balls over 150 yen are discounted to 150 yen. This is a good amount of savings. My favorite kind is tsukune (the right one in the picture), ground chicken flavored with a soy based sauce. One is good for a snack or you could have a couple for a cheap meal. Overall, they are pretty healthy too. The sale goes on until June 22.

Japanese Fast Food - Matsuya, Pork Rice Bowl!

I know I haven't focused as much on Japanese food but there is a lot of choices available. One of the cheapest fast food places is Matsuya. They serve mostly beef or pork bowls. I recently had the pork bowl or butadon. It is a bowl of rice topped with pork and onions that have been simmered in a soy sauce based broth. Recently, the price has been reduced for the pork bowl. This is rare for any restaurant to reduce their prices. But I think it was due to the economy. It is 320 yen for a regular bowl or 420 yen for a large bowl (down from 350 yen and 450 yen respectively). This is a pretty good deal since it also comes with a bowl of miso soup. This restaurant usually uses a ticket vending machine to pay for the dishes. It's pretty easy to figure out. The dish is usually ready within a minute or two of sitting down. Now that's fast food!

200 yen Oreo McFlurries!

I just had an oreo McFlurry for my dessert. It was 200 yen. Right now, they are on sale, down from 300 yen. That's a 33 percent savings! Also, sundaes are on sale. They are 100 yen now. They are available in chocolate or strawberry flavors. This sale starts today and lasts until June 18th. Enjoy it while you can. Also, it is only available after 2 pm.

100 Yen Menu at McDonald's!

What do you do if have a low paid job like me? You must save money when eating out. One of the best ways is to buy only the cheapest foods at restaurants. I recommend the 100 yen menu at McDonald's. There are 9 items to choose from: Shaka Shaka chicken, McPork, Soft Twist, Apple Pie, Small Drink, Hamburger, or Small Milkshake. The selection is okay. I recommend the Shaka Shaka Chicken or the McPork, two items not available in the US. The items on this menu can be a little small though, especially the drinks, which are about 6 oz drinks. Anyway, give these items a try. They're a little different and not bad for the price.

99 Yen Store!

What do the items in the picture have in common? I was able to buy a bunch of bananas, spinach, a frozen eclair, and half price yakitori. They were only 99 yen each (104 yen with tax). Japan is famous for 99 or 100 yen stores. There are some stores that are more like mini supermarkets. In the US, I would not want to shop at the dollar store for food but the ones in Japan are decent. They sell all the basic food items and there is enough variety. You can buy a filling meal for around 500 yen by mixing and matching whatever you like. These sorts of stores can be found in more residential areas. Just keep an eye out for the store signs. There is usually a 99 or 100 in the name.

McDonald's Coupons for 12,000 yen!

In a previous post, I mentioned McDonald's coupons for sale. It was 20,000 yen worth of coupons for 12,000 yen. I think this is a highly valuable sale. I bought my booklet today. Take a look at my picture. Just tear a coupon and redeem it at any McDonald's in Japan. This should last me a few months.

Supermarket Discounts!

In Japan, supermarkets usually have a prepared food section. There will be various foods like curry and rice, spaghetti, sushi, or rice balls. Food begins to be discounted at a certain time. It will depend on your supermarket. My supermarket has two discount times. One around 5 pm and another around 10 pm, an hour before closing. You will have to experiment with your supermarket. A good time to try is 30 minutes to an hour before closing. Go there at various times in the evening and night to see when the best discounts are. Discounts can be up to 50%. If you see a sticker with this kanji, 半額, it means it is 50% off. If you are visiting Japan as a tourist, you probably will not be staying near a supermarket but it doesn't hurt to ask the hotel staff if there is one close by. But it is probably better to try a department store basement food floor. I will cover this in a later post. The prepared foods at supermarkets are pretty good quality and are a little cheaper than buying at a restaurant. This is good for someone who is trying to save money. For dinner last night, I had katsudon, a fried pork cutlet and egg in a soy based sauce over rice. It was really filling and cheap!

McDonald's Coupon Sale Starts Today!

McDonald's Japan has a new promotion starting today! You can buy ￥20,000($200) worth of coupons for ￥12,000($120). You might be thinking, "Wait a minute. That's a lot of money!" That's true, but think about the savings. That's a 40% savings off the regular menu price! So what coupons do you get? Here is my translation for your benefit:

• 10 type A coupons (redeem for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Big Mac, or Ebi Filet-O Meal*)
• 10 type B coupons (redeem for a Double Cheese Burger, Teriyaki Mac Burger, or Chicken Filet-O Meal*)
• 9 Type C coupons (redeem for any Happy Meal or a Cheeseburger Meal*)
• 3 Dessert/Side coupons (redeem for a chocolate sundae, Chicken McNuggets, or medium french fries)
• 3 Shaka Shaka Chicken coupons
• 30 small coffee coupons (hot or iced)
• 4 small cold drink coupons (redeem for any 2: McShake, iced cafe au lait, milk, vegetable juice, apple juice, iced cafe mocha, or iced caramel latte)
• * all meals come with medium drink and medium french fries
• * valid until November 14, 2009
  

That's a lot of food! I think it is worth it although it is a big initial investment. It might be good if you could find someone to split this deal with. It could basically cover one meal for the day for an entire month! Although, I wouldn't suggest eating at McDonald's every day! I do know a few people in Japan that eat there a few days a week and there is enough variety with the coupons. I haven't bought these coupons yet but plan to soon. Will post pictures once I do.

Welcome to Eat! Cheap! Japan!

Howdy, Folks! Welcome to Eat! Cheap! Japan! (^_^)
In this blog, I hope to give my readers tips on how to save money on eating out in Japan.
I hope to do this by helping those new to Japan or visiting Japan for vacation. Usually, these people have a harder time figuring out all the signs in Japanese. I will try to translate websites and signs for my readers and explain the deals available to them.
I have lived in Japan for almost 3 years now. My level of Japanese is intermediate and I apologize if there are mistakes with my translating m( )m.
My posts will focus more on fast food places. I am American so my posts will focus not only only Japanese food but also American food. I still love McDonald's so it will be featured often!
Happy Eating!