Girl eating out

Hi.
May be a silly question.
In a few days I will be flying to Japan, alone. I plan on going to izakaya and other eateries, I want to try yakitori, for example. Also, since on a budget, I will stick to fairly cheap places. Is it fine for me to go alone? Places to avoid?
Also, if you have good places to recommend, go ahead! I'll be staying in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima.
Thanks!

There are (literally) thousands of cheap eateries of the type you're looking for and most of them will be perfectly fine for a single person eating alone, regardless of gender although as a single girl you may have to deal with nanpa!

That said, try to find somewhere with a counter as you'll have a much greater chance of being able to strike up conversation with other diners; it's a bit lonely being stuck on a table alone although of course you may prefer that.

I find that as a foreign guy it's generally very easy to start chatting with others on the counter and I imagine that as a single girl it would be highly unlikely that you'd end up sitting quietly with no one to chat with.

I think that when it comes to this sort of budget place, there's no real need to particular recomendations as in Japan it's frankly very hard to find a place like this that doesn't serve great food. Just pick somewhere that looks crowded and boisterous and you'll have a great time.

It's worth learning the kanji for yakitori and izakaya so you can spot those places but most yakitoriya are easily identified from outside anyway.

yakitori : 焼き鳥 / 焼きとり
izakaya : 居酒屋

No problem eating yakitori at Izakaya restaurant but a girl alone visitor at Izakaya is very rare, so the staff at Izakaya might ask you that you came alone but they are happy to invite you.
Izakaya is a typical alcohol drink place so I would recommend you to order a cup of alcohol drink instead of ordering a soft drink. This is because Izakaya earns from alcohol drinks.
You can buy Yakitori at major supermarkets also.

I always like to find someplace with a counter if I'm dining alone, and most yakitori shops have counters. The only disadvantage to the counter is if you don't smoke, because you might end up seated between two chain-smokers.

Yakitori varies quite a bit in quality, so here are some recommendations for Tokyo: http://bento.com/r-yakit.html

Hachibei in Nogizaka is one of my favorites, and Abeya in Marunouchi is very tourist-friendly without being touristy - they have English menus, non-smoking seats, etc.

In Kyoto, Kokkekokko (http://bento.com/kansai/rev/7040.html ), located in JR Kyoto Station, is my favorite yakitori spot in town.

Eating alone is no problem in Japan. Also, service is fast and no time waiting for your food.
There are restaurants everywhere and any kinds and costs from cheap ticket vending machines to very high ends.
In Tokyo, if you like sushi, go to Midori (Umegaoka Sushimidori) connected to Shibuya station. Many great reviews on the net.
Go there at 10am to get the queue ticket for 11am open or go after busy lunch time.
If you go to Hiroshima, extend to Miyajima to stay. We like low rate Mikuniya guesthouse just above the hill from the shrine. It is designated as a backpackers inn but nothing like one and better than a typical ryokan room for 5,000yen/night.

P.S.
In Kyoto, we stay at Daishin-in Zen temple shukubo. It is popular for solo women domestic and Europeans, too. Its location is in the tranquil and quiet Nyoshinji temple complex, off the main Kyoto downtown but convenient to walk to Ryoanji/Kinkakuji and trip to Arashiyama. Their rate is 5,000 yen a night w/ free bf. The dinner is optional but for 5,000yen and up you can have the most delicious shojin ryori (monk's all vege. meal). They have the early morning prayer, too that you can participate free, if you can get up. Taizo-in in the complex is better than Ryoanji rock garden, imo.

At first it may be a little awkward to be alone especially on eateries which provide counter seats, especially when you are the only woman in the restaurant. Aside of that, it will be perfectly fine, especially on ramen shops, chain restaurants (Yoshinoya, Matsuya, etc) and local eateries.

Few izakayas that I tend to avoid are smaller shops which are too squeezed (because of the cigarette smoke) and shops which loud laughters or shouting can be heard from outside (worried of drunkards).

I would have chosen a snack, instead of restaurants. And cheaper, and less embarrassing one there.

"I would have chosen a snack, instead of restaurants."

Do you mean that you recommend she just eats snacks instead of eating out... because it's cheaper and 'less embarrassing'?

Or do you mean that she should go to a スナック (hostess bar) instead of a restaurant?

Either way, I'm not sure this is helpful advice.

P.S.
In Kyoto, we stay at Daishin-in Zen temple shukubo. It is popular for solo women domestic and Europeans, too. Its location is in the tranquil and quiet Nyoshinji temple complex, off the main Kyoto downtown but convenient to walk to Ryoanji/Kinkakuji and trip to Arashiyama. Their rate is 5,000 yen a night w/ free bf. The dinner is optional but for 5,000yen and up you can have the most delicious shojin ryori (monk's all vege. meal). They have the early morning prayer, too that you can participate free, if you can get up. Taizo-in in the complex is better than Ryoanji rock garden, imo.

I live here and often eat out on my own, too.

For lunch, it will be ok basically everywhere to eat solo. Most people do on their lunch break.
For dinner, I would recommend looking at the people who are inside the restaurant and if they are all large partying groups, maybe try elsewhere.
As mentioned already, if a restaurant has counter seats they welcome solo diners, so it is a good choice to look for those who have them. Soba places (including more fancy ones) are always a good bet. I would avoid most izakaya as they are mostly social drinking establishment. Personally I don't like gyudon places because it's mostly middle aged men there and the food isn't tasty either, but it wouldn't be frowned upon if you went.

It is safe and not embarrassing to eat out alone. Do not miss out on great food just because you don't have a dinner companion ;)

Not sure if it's also categorized as izakaya, but there is one cozy restaurant in Shinjuku area which serves Okinawa delicacies. The food is similar to tapas and they serve my favorite Orion draught beer.

If you're looking for izakaya to try yakitori or local finger food, I'm sure there are plenty places which is comfortable to dine alone. I've been to a dining place in Aomori which serves nice yakitori and super cold Dry Zero. The place is very cozy and absolutely fine for a single diner -- even when two half-drunk salarymen opened a conversation near the cashier area (but still polite).

I'm in Tokyo and I'm having a great time. I found nice guys at the hostel, so we usually go out together. I also went out alone (mostly lunch) and you were right: no problem at all. Everything I tried so far was delicious! Thanks for the help