It's one of the most common questions I get asked about living in Japan. The answer to it, like most things is, it depends (unless you were traveling to Tokyo in the 1980s during 'The Bubble' when everything was so inflated that people were literally making it rain in the streets and taking baths in Dom Pérignon). These days though, I'm pretty sure San Francisco has dethroned Tokyo as one of the most expensive places to live, notably when it comes to basic necessities like food and housing. I actually almost considered re-relocating back to Tokyo after I discovered how much it would cost to rent a place in SF.

Japan can be expensive, but that's only for specific types of restaurants. If you're perusing the 3 star section in Michelin guide and looking for Sukiyabashi Jiro, then Tokyo's going to be pricey. Non-Japanese cuisine like French/American/Italian tend to be a bit pricier for dinner (sorry guys no unlimited apps at TGIFridays for $10). 

Fresh produce, specifically fruits, will be very expensive especially when you consider the quantity you're paying for. If you're in the market for a triangle shaped watermelon or a handful of white strawberries pristinely packaged like jewelry, then yes, unfortunately, Japan is going to break the bank.

If you don't fall into any of those above categories and you're totally okay with extremely delicious, satisfying, and unpretentious food, then I'm here to tell you that Tokyo and Japan is perfectly affordable, and for me at least, the greatest place to eat in the world, based on a pure cost : quality : satisfaction ratio (notice how I left out quantity) .

So far, I've shared a few restaurants that fall into my favorite food groups: ramen, sushi, junk. Leaving our luscious friend, meat, out of the conversation would be sacrilegious so here is my first carnivore-friendly recommendation.

Torishige (鳥茂) is located in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo and sits at the side of a building next to a busy corner McDonalds leading into an dark alley way that seems to just go on for blocks. It's a 2 floored izakaya which is rare for a non-chain restaurant like this and can accommodate up 82 people total (22 counter and 60 table). The prices are quite reasonable with skewer courses starting at around $30 dollars and going up to $100 for the full blown omakase. They also have an ala carte menu you can order from so there's almost something for everyone.... as long as you like meat.

I speak frequently about how Tokyo has so many amazing restaurant options, so whittling down the choices of which shop I wanted to introduce first was no simple feat. I chose Torishige because I wanted to discuss an interesting topic regarding the differences in eating habits and food cultures between countries and cultures.

So without further ado, our first j-HACKS item: the humble Japanese Nail Clipper!

I dream about sushi.... ALOT, but since becoming a father, prime opportunities to dine out come much much less frequently than before. I've begun to realize that when I do go out to eat, 9 out of 10 times it's for sushi. (*dining out meaning eating something that isn't from a fast food chain or a food court) 

Sushi, believe it or not, is actually one of the main reasons I dropped everything, quit my job, left my friends and family, and moved away from the only home I've ever known to a mysterious country where I had few friends and no understanding of the language, the culture, or the food. Well I mean, I did in some sense have it better than most Americans because I was lucky enough to grow up in San Francisco where there is (or was) a Japantown, Japanese people, and numerous sushi restaurants ranging from mediocre to downright poisonous. For reasons beyond comprehension though, my interest in Sushi drove me to do something I could never fathom. Growing up in an Asian family usually means living with your family until you end up getting married. Rarely, will you see Asian children move away from home for selfish reasons (unless of course those reasons happen to have future financial benefits, i.e. College / great job at famous company etc.) For me though, the reasons were as selfish as they came and for the first time in my life I was passionate about something. I needed to know more, see more, and taste more. I desperately sought understanding beyond superficial terms, dragon rolls, and the salmon/hamachi/ebi/maguro rut that San Francisco's sushi scene was limited to at the time. I felt like I had an ocean's worth of knowledge separating me and I was driven like never before to cross it.

It's only been a few months since returning to San Francisco after living in Tokyo for the last 6 years of my life and the painful pork fat laden midnight sweats from ramen withdrawal have yet to subside. Looking up the definition for withdrawal, I wonder if ramen can be classified as an addictive drug... it's definitely not coitus interruptus... although having an awful bowl of American ramen could possibly bring similar amounts of agony and rage.

It took some time, but I think I've finally come to accept that the ramen boom has just only begun in SF. Noodle-starved addicts like myself will need to patiently wait until the quality and consistency catches up to some of the mid-level ramen chains in Japan. So far, my experiences with eating ramen in SF have been plagued with inconsistent and depthless broths.

Takesue's (竹末東京) chicken and scallop paitan (translated as 'white soup', made with vigorously boiled chicken bones) ramen near the Skytree / Oshiage area in Tokyo. The shop is tiny and only has about 8 counter seats and a small table for waiting customers. It's currently ranked in the top 50 for Tokyo Ramen shops on Tabelog, the biggest food review site in Japan. I got a chance to try this for the first time before moving back to SF from Tokyo and was blown away by the complex and rich flavors, but the biggest surprise was the unique way each bowl of ramen was made for each customer.