Some people come to Japan for the experience. Some come to discover a different culture and experience life in what is at times a different world. And some people, like myself, come for the food. Ok I didn’t just come for the food, but it was a big incentive let’s say.

I’ve always had a thing for Asian cooking - coming from a French/Italian background it’s fair to say that food has always played a big part in my life. I don’t just love eating good food, I also love cooking. And while I’ve spent the best part of my adult life mastering various dishes and food from my own background I’ve always wanted to try my hand at Asian food. I’ve just never really had the chance or incentive to do it. I can cook a mean stir fry and a more than decent Thai curry, but that’s about it really :sad: .

So living in Japan has been an absolute blast so far when it comes to food. Not only has the cooking been great, even if my sink-sized kitchen has been interfering with my attempts, but the eating has been truly next level. Japanese goes a lot deeper than what you see in Europe - and discovering its many pleasures and aspects has been excellent.

In Tokyo eating is incredibly cheap compared to London. I was having this discussion with a friend who’s been here a few years, where I was saying how cheap eating out in Tokyo is. Which he claimed wasn’t entirely true - eating out can be as expensive as London or any major city, but fast food or just grabbing some food is definitely ridiculously cheap. And fair enough, a dinner in a nice restaurant, will probably set you back a fair bit, though from my own experience so far I’ve found that a lot of restaurants are still a little cheaper when you consider quality and service.

But the price of fast food and just grabbing dinner or lunch quickly is just a schock to the system - especially when coming from London. First of all the choice is vast - from Western fast food joints (which are all pretty cheap compared to Europe), to more typical Japanese eateries, stalls and restaurants which serve Yakitori, Ramen, Sushi, Tempura, Chinese food, Curry, Tonkatsu, grilled eels, onigiri, gyoza or dumplings. Wherever you look there’s somewhere to pop in for a quick bite, and by and large the quality and price are just unbeatable - it migth be fast food but it’s a hell of a lot healthier than the western fast food equivalents.

In London for a fiver or less your options are pretty limited - a so-so sandwich and crisps from the supermarket or a kebab and chips being the most popular options. Fast food isn’t particularly known for its healthiness or quality. Here for the same price you can get a full on meal - rice, noodles, meat/tempura/fish, miso soup, salad, in any combination. And it’s good. And you don’t feel guilty or sick after having it either. And your hands aren’t covered in grease either.

Ramen might not be the most healthy option, being a bit on the fatty side, but it’s quick and tasty. Tempura and tonkatsu are also quite fatty but nicely offset by some noodles, rice and miso soup. Sushi is, according to a lot of the Japanese I’ve spoken to, quite healthy and incredibly cheap in some spots. It won’t be the best sushi but generally is much better than the packs you can grab in Marks & Spencers or Sainsbury’s. Yakitori is just amazing lush, grilled chicken skewers and if you avoid the sauce definitely much healthier than the fried chicken you get back home. On the healthy tip, my current favourites are curry (though it’s becoming a bit too hot to eat now) and Chinese fast food.

Anyways I better stop rambling, as I’ll be posting up about various dishes in more detail in the coming days. But suffice to say that one of the things that is definitely convincing me that Tokyo is far from being the expensive city it’s made out to be is the food. Sure it can be expensive, but like everywhere, it’ll be so if you opt for the more touristy spots and places where people are after your money. If you opt to do like the locals and just get a quick bite to eat, or even sometimes a proper meal in places like Ootoya, then you won’t be breaking the bank anytime soon.

And while in London it’s easier to cook at home, with kitchen sizes generally being more accommodating, in Tokyo you soon realise that you might as well eat out as it’d cost the same as buying all the ingredients and struggling to cook in your tiny ass kitchen.

What’s more the ingredients and taste are truly amazing. Ok you’ve got to like rice, otherwise you’re a little screwed, but for any foodie, Japan truly is a land of plenty.

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written by Laurent \\ tags: Japanese Food