We go in search of the elusive cheap meal to find out what you can eat for US$3.20 in Tokyo. 

It wasn’t that long ago when spending less than 500 yen (US$3.20) on lunch in Japan was an easy option. These days, though, with rising costs and cash-flush overseas tourists pushing up prices, it’s become much more of a challenge to fill your belly on a so-called “one-coin” lunch, especially in Tokyo, Japan’s capital.

Curious to investigate the extent to which 500 yen lunches have disappeared, our reporter Yuuichiro Wasai set out to find them, and in the process, he committed himself to spending 500 yen or less on lunch every day for a week.

This was a risky challenge that threatened to leave him hungry for seven days, but Yuuichiro was determined to keep cheap meals alive by spending money on them. He also didn’t want to go for any obvious choices like McDonald’s, where you can get a couple of burgers, but no sets for less than 500 yen, and Yoshinoya, where a regular beef bowl costs 498 yen .

The other rule he set for himself was there would be no repeats, because that path leads to boredom, which tempts you into spending more money on food. Thankfully, Yuuichiro works in the heart of Shinjuku, so he’s spoilt for choice when it comes to restaurants nearby, but would they deliver a satisfying lunch in return for a 500-yen coin?

▼ He set out to find out.

Yuuichiro spent some time doing research online before his week of cheap eats, but what he found turned out to be pretty good. So let’s fast forward by taking a look at what he actually ate for the week, before he gives us his final thoughts on the state of the cheap food scene.

▼ Day 1: Small Roast Beef Rice (494 yen [US$3.15]) at Jonathan family restaurant

▼ Day 2: Rich and Delicious Meat Sauce Half (490 yen) at Gusto family restaurant

▼ Day 3: Tsukimi Udon (420 yen) at Shinjuku Kanoya, Main Branch

▼ Day 4: Two pieces of lean bluefin tuna & two pieces of squid (500 yen) at the Himawari Sushi conveyor belt restaurant

▼ Day 5: Lunch Bolognese Meat Sauce Set (500 yen) at Saizeriya

▼ Day 6: Zaru Soba (460 yen) at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Cafeteria

▼ Day 7: Mori Soba (450 yen) at Sagaya

So what do you think about the size and look of the meals? If you’ve been living in Japan for over a decade, these meals might want to make you cry as they’re nowhere near as substantial as a 500-yen lunch used to be. That’s a sentiment shared by Yuuichiro, who conceded that his belly was growling before dinner most days during this challenge, but he did want to give praise where praise was due, and that praise went to family restaurant chain Saizeriya.

▼ When it comes to meals under 500 yen, the options at most restaurants are mainly limited to small, side-style servings.

▼ At Saizeriya, though, you can get a cheesy, meaty doria for 300 yen.

▼ Even grilled chicken doesn’t break the bank, with a couple of options priced at 500 yen.

▼ What’s even more impressive is that a set meal of salad and a spaghetti is only 500 yen.

▼ If you do want to splurge with an extra 100 yen, Saizeriya’s limited-time lunch menu offers a couple of 600-yen sets.

Even at McDonald’s, many of the value sets will break the 500 yen barrier so it’s as if Saizeriya is existing in a different era. The chain’s commitment to keeping costs low is one that Yuuichiro wholeheartedly appreciates, and another chain that deserves a shoutout is Kanoya.

Here, you can get a bowl of Tsukimi (Moon Viewing) soba or udon, so-called as it contains an egg, which has a round shape that resembles the moon, for just 420 yen.

▼ There are plenty of other udon and soba options that come with tasty additions like tempura and even a croquette, for less than 500 yen.

Outside of these two chains though, things are quite bleak, with 500 yen getting you a serving of noodles with no toppings at Sagaya.

▼ Yuuichiro had to limit his lunch to cold “zaru soba” noodles, which was a very bare-bones meal for him.

Family restaurants may have items under 500 yen, they’re generally small in size. Gusto’s “Rich & savory meat sauce (half portion)“, for example, is only a little larger than a fist.

▼ During his week of cheap eats, Saizeriya came out as the clear winner for taste, portion size, and value.

With the help of Saizeriya, there remains a glimmer of hope for the 500-yen lunch in Tokyo. While Japan’s largest denomination of coin will no longer get you the substantial lunch once enjoyed in years past, there are options still out there, so things haven’t gone the way of the overpriced inbound don lunch just yet.

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