This is a topic that I’ve wanted to start writing about for awhile it because it is very important and I wish I had known more about this subject before coming.

(My dorm room, back when it was clean and I didn’t have a mini-fridge)

Tokyo is expensive. By most estimates, it’s the most expensive city in the world, and I can definitely see why. My tiny dorm room is costing me $700/month here, which is more than the entirety of what my very large apartment costs back in the US. Additionally, back home I had 1-2 roommates at all times to cut down that expense at least in half. Thankfully, we get internet and electricity included in the rent, and there is also a subsidy for being an exchange student at the dorm which means that I will be getting back somewhere around $65 a month (in a bulk payment in July).

(Side note- if you live in a dorm, outgoing students throw away perfectly good stuff, so go take a look in the garbage room. I got myself a mini-fridge, and some of the other exchange students have gotten TVs, computers, umbrellas, and a variety of other goodies. There is no dumpster, so it’s not *technically* dumpster diving, just in case you need an excuse to preserve your dignity. Avoid actually buying appliances at any cost, because you straight up cannot afford them)

Food is also expensive. At the dorm, the exchange students are lucky enough to get breakfast and dinner included in the rent. Regular students, on the other hand, have to pay for each of their meals. The better meals at the dorm run from about $4.50 to $6 each time. The main problem with the dorm cafeteria isn’t the quality of the food (I actually like it, but my fellow exchange students might give you a different review), it’s that the hours they serve breakfast are pretty terrible. Breakfast is served from 6:30am-8:45am which means that I almost always miss it. So far I have actually made it down at breakfast time a grand total of 3 days. One of those days was a Sunday, which is the day they don’t serve breakfast. The disappointment of that morning still stings. So in actuality I’ve only ate breakfast at Hiyoshi twice.

Additionally, restaurants and groceries are expensive. Most restaurants will run *at least* $6 for an ‘ok’ amount of food, and if you want anything to drink along with that, it will add on another $3 and the drink portions are especially tiny. Don’t despair, I have the solution! MA-TSU-YA! I eat at Matsuya pretty much any day that I don’t have a lunchtime session in the chat room. For 280円 (Currently around $2.80, the exchange rate rocks right now for being easy to calculate) you can get a big bowl of beef and rice, along with a small miso soup. The food is filling, tasty, and cheap. Plus, if you happen to be deathly afraid of trying to converse in Japanese, you don’t even have to talk to anyone. You get a ticket out of a machine that has the pictures and prices of everything on the menu, and then you go sit down and put the ticket in front of you. You’ll have your meal in less than a minute. いただきます！

(I freaking love Matsuya)

(This is the reason I love Matsuya)

As far as groceries go, forget about buying fruit. If you truly want to eat cheaply, your new diet is vegetables and eggs. Your “basics” back home might be hard to find or very expensive here. Dairy products like butter and milk are expensive; beer is ridiculously expensive, etc. Shop around, for most of your stuff you are better off heading to a supermarket, but you can find some things cheaper at convenience stores and other places. If you wander around the prepared food section at the supermarket with less than 30 minutes before closing time, you can get some decent markdowns as well, but it’s still too rich for my blood.

For miscellaneous goods: school, cleaning, cooking supplies, etc. head to one of the hyaku-en shops (hyaku is hundred, and ‘en’ is the actual way you say “yen” so it’s basically the dollar store). The quality is actually pretty good on most of the things they stock, so don’t be shy. Basically you’re looking for a place called Daiso or any store that prominently displays “100円” on the signage.

(I KNOW you’re jealous of my sweet hyaku-en banana breads)

For random entertainment type stuff: Don Quijote (or ドン・キホーテ) has a wide variety of items for fairly good prices. “Book Off” is a second-hand goods store chain that has video games, books, music, movies, etc. “Hard Off” (no relation to ‘Hard On’) is a second-hand store for clothes and appliances and the only place besides Craig’s List that you might possibly consider breaking the “no buying appliances in Japan” rule for.

(Floor after floor of everything from man-thongs, to shoes, to sporting goods, to kitchen supplies)

Hope this advice helps for anyone wanting to visit or move to Japan. I’m happy to revisit this subject in small doses as I continue to learn new tips and tricks! Perhaps at some point I’ll mention where you can find yourself some 40 yen beer, or as I like to call it: 25 beers for $10!