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!