Izakaya prices and budget eating

I have been looking for reasonably priced Izakayas, but the prices are puzzling to me:

There are courses that include unlimited drinks, say for 4000 yen. Does this mean that it is meant for the whole party(there are 6 of us) or just one?

We're students so we're travelling with a budget, but we would love to experience as much of Japan's food culture as possible.

If you have tips on how to eat Japanese food without burning a hole to your wallet, please advice!

Thanks in advance!

(I posted a question earlier, but it didn't show up, sorry if I double post anyway..)

I think it is a price for one person. These are some restaurant chains which serve low-cost meals.

GUSTO
see the menu (http://skylark.page-view.jp/100715_gusto/pageview/pageview.html#page_num=1)
Kinnokura Jr.
Meals are served at between 270 and 300 yen.
http://r.gnavi.co.jp/b749918/menu3.html

You can also eat at Yoshinoya, Matsuya and other Gyudon(beef on rice) restaurant chains.
Yoshinoya
http://www.yoshinoya.com/
Matsuya
http://www.matsuyafoods.co.jp/

It is the price for one person, izakayas are not cheap solutions, but there are izakayas as cheap as 2000 en with unlimited drinks, you should just stroll around the streets and you will see many people on the streets with menus in hand trying to convince people to their izakaya, you can even have a bargain! :0) As for izakayas you should keep in mind that you almost always pay a table charge around 400 en, just for sitting =p but in some izakayas you buy one dish instead of paying the table charge.
For cheap sushi you can go to kaiten sushi restaurants where a plate of sushi starts from 105 en
gyudon places are cheap like : sukiya, matsuda
many ramen restaurants are cheap anyway

but as I think you should experience izakaya, you may just go and order some food nd share(japanese style)and leave the drinking part somewhere else :)

Thanks a lot for the swift response! We will try an Izakaya a few times whatever the cost.

There's one more thing I'd like to ask: I've heard that there are places that don't welcome tourists at all. Is there a way to recognize these places? Is it ok to just walk inside to a place without knowing what kind of a reastaurant it is?

To answer your question (and I hope it doesn't get deleted), yes there are some places that do not want foreign guests. But usually they are bars or hostess club type places, and there would be a sign in English saying so.

For meals, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. If you are on a budget, just go to places that have the plastic displays of the food on the outside of the restaurant, you can always signal the waiter or waitress outside and just point at what you want. Chain 'family restaurants' like Denny's, Royal Host, Jonathan's will mostly likely have an English menu, or pictures of the food on the menu. You may also see restaurants that serve Chinese food suited to Japanese palate, Korean food, and Japanese style spaghetti places, also with plastic displays outside or in the entrance. Other poster have suggested other chains that are relatively hassle free.

I think that many izakaya do not serve 'meal' food. By that I mean you drink and order a bunch of little things at a time, like yakitori (grilled things on skewers), for example, or rice balls. If you order enough it can be filling, but it's not exactly like ordering one filling, meal sized portion on one plate. It's like Spanish tapas. Yes, Izakaya can be not so cheap (depending how much you drink and how may plates of tapas you order), but I agree that it's a fun Japanese experience and you should do it once on your trip


There may be minor problems in communication, but just be patient, smile, and remember that you are in a non English speaking country. There are so many questions and answers related to food on this site, so try searching and reading.

Happy eating in Japan :-)

There are lots of budget izakaya chains all over. Look out for those with a price in the name (like 270 yen/290 yen). That means that every drink/piece of food you order will only cost that much.
You will get a private room, and very often the electronic menus have an English option (or at least pictures to help you). Great fun, and very cheap!

my number one way of finding a cheap-ish izakaya experience in japan was by locating somewhere frequented by college age people. your guidebook or hostel staff can help you. otherwise, find the biggest university town and traipse around a bit. also, there are usually lots of local places with happy hour specials that can save a lot of money, although these usually attract a lot of other foreign patrons. sometimes they are not even izakaya at all, so check it out. anyways, i usually stick to local places with a lot of people inside; thats a sign of good food, decent prices, and a higher probability of meeting some local people.

There's a great Izakaya in Ueno, right next to the Park. It's on a side street opposite one of the entrances to Keisei-Ueno. You go up some stairs to get into it. They have an English menu and the prices are great. I was taken there by a bunch of University students my friends and I met in Tokyo. I now go whenever I'm in Tokyo.

The best I've been to is Amataro, and it was located in Yokohama by the famous ferris wheel.

I am a student, too, and we had about 24 something people getting drinks.

ALL YOU CAN DRINK for 810 Yen per person!!! It's only for two hours, though; however, how much more time do you need?

I suggest you take shots of soju first, because the drinks in Japan are delicious but with very little alcohol.

Check out my blog post http://japandrian.wordpress.com/2010/09/18/making-adjustments-meeting-.... Scroll down and you'll see some photos of it.