A humble store so generous it makes us want to cry.

The recent wave of price hikes in Japan shows no signs of slowing down – in fact, many would say it’s only getting worse. These days, it feels like we’re constantly checking prices and lamenting over how things that were once affordable just aren’t any more, especially when it comes to food, as portion sizes get smaller and prices get higher, even at local supermarkets.

With our eye now becoming expertly trained to spot a bargain, we did a double-take recently when visiting Aikawa in Tokyo’s neighbouring Kanagawa Prefecture. There, we spotted a bright yellow building with “190 yen〜” painted in bright red, so we sidled up for a closer look.

▼ 190 yen translates to US$1.18 in today’s money.

The shop was called Gottsuan Bento, and the “190 yen〜”, followed by “with tax 205 yen〜” in parentheses, was advertising the pre-tax price for things like のり弁 (noriben), やきそば (yakisoba), カレー (curry) and お蕎麦 (soba).

These prices made us feel like we’d travelled back in time to the good ol’ days, so we immediately stepped inside to take a look at what was on offer.

It soon became clear that this really was one of the last bastions of yesteryear prices, with rows of delicious-looking cheap bento meals on display.

▼ Piping hot and freshly made from the kitchen in the back, these meals had a fantastic homemade feel to them.

We may have been cash-strapped in a bento store, but we had all the excitement of a kid in a candy store, with cheap prices enticing us at every turn. Although the yakisoba was 205 yen, the nori ben and curry were slightly higher than advertised out front, but at 213 yen we certainly weren’t complaining.

Taking a look at the back of the store revealed even more bento varieties, with slightly more luxurious ingredients to match the higher prices.

Even these were a great deal, with the “Nori Ben DX” going for 321 yen, and everything else 429 yen.

Despite the cheap prices, each bento was beautifully presented and generously portioned, far exceeding what we’d expect these days at this price point.

▼ Four types of hamburg to choose from – DX, grated daion radish, tomato sauce, and cheese.

▼ Other options included nori mentaiko (noriben with pollock roe), fried shrimp, and pork kimchi.

Although we wanted to buy every type of bento they had, we limited ourselves to just three and took them to a nearby park to try them.

▼ These are the three we chose.

▼ First up to the tasting plate was the noriben, which cost just 213 yen.

Noriben is famous for being one of the simplest yet most satisfying bentos you can get in Japan. It commonly consists of a bed of rice topped with seasoned bonito flakes and a sheet of nori seaweed, and is usually accompanied by a chikuwa (tempura fish cake) and a piece of fried whitefish.

▼ This noriben had all the right ingredients, and it ended up being quite filling, making it great value for money.

The batter on the fish was crispy and absolutely delicious, and although it didn’t really need sauce, you can purchase it separately for an extra 5 yen, which is what we did.

▼ With or without sauce, we loved everything about this bento.

Next up, we tried the Curry, which set us back a meager 213 yen. It was spicy and had an authentic finish, but most importantly, it was so delicious we couldn’t stop eating it.

Keeping the momentum before our belly had a chance to sense how full it was getting, we tried our final bento, the Pork Kimchi, which was the most expensive of the lot, at 429 yen.

What we got was a very good return on investment, as the mound of pork kimchi was so generous it rose up beyond the height of the tray. The intense umami was irresistible, and so dangerously addictive that we managed to finish it all without giving our full belly a second thought.

Sitting back in the sunshine on the park bench like a warlord who’d just finished a bento feast, we took a look at the receipt to find out how much the spread had cost us.

▼ All three meals, including the sauce, cost just 860 yen.

It was hard to believe that in this day and age we could feel this full for this price, and the sense of fullness wasn’t just in our belly, as our heart was full of warmth at knowing a place like this existed. As we digested our food, we were so moved by the experience that we almost wanted to cry with happiness.

The generosity of the store extends well beyond the prices, because although profit margins must be low, there’s no cutting corners on the portions or flavour to cover costs. That does mean the store is popular, and although the opening hours are advertised in the window as “Open from 10 a.m. until sold out”, everything tends to sell out by early afternoon, so you’ll want to keep that in mind if you visit.

Alternatively, there’s another branch of Gottsuan in Sagamihara, near Odakyu Sagamihara Station in Kanagawa Prefecture, which you can get to from Tokyo on the Odakyu Line.

▼ A 10-minute walk from Odakyu Sagamihara Station.

After discovering the wonders of Gottsuan Bento, we’re now filled with hope that there are other cheap bento places waiting to be discovered in Japan. And they might just be hiding out in Kanagawa Prefecture, seeing as it’s home to our other bargain secret, Kogane Bento, where you can buy delicious croquettes for just 20 yen.

Store information
Gottsuan Bento Aikawa Branch / ごっつぁん弁当 愛川店
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Aiko-gun, Aikawa-cho, Nakatsu 303-3
神奈川県愛甲郡愛川町中津303-3
Hours: 10:00 a.m. until sold out every day

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