Beef Bowl Japanese Gyudon - Best and Cheapest Japanese Soul Food

With many franchise restaurants throughout Japan, Gyndon Beef bowl 牛丼 remains one of the best and most affordable comfort food options for budget travelers in Japan. Typical price of a regular size Gyndon Beef Bowl is about $2.50 to $3.50 USD, the value far exceeds any other cuisine in Japan. Many of the restaurants open 24 hour a day in urban areas in Japan and they are everywhere near train/subway stations, this makes it a great option for a quick bite any time of the day. Typical Beef Bowl recipe consists of thinly sliced Beef braised in sweet soy sauce, cooked to perfection with onion over steamed rice. I am dedicating this blog article to the best and my favorite franchise Beef Bowl restaurants in Tokyo Japan, such as Yoshinoya 吉野家, Matsuya 松屋, Sukiya すき屋, Nakau なか卯 and Tokyo Chikara Meshi 東京チカラめし, etc.

Best and cheapest food in Japan: Beef Bowl Japanese Gyudon

Budget: How much does it cost to go to Tokyo Japan?

Recently Updated!

How much does it cost for a trip to go to Japan? Is Tokyo or Japan expensive? Maybe not when you compare Tokyo with Singapore, London or New York City. I believe if your Tokyo Japan trip is planned carefully, money can be very well spent. I have dedicated this blog post to the overall planning and budgeting for your first trip to Japan. Compare Tokyo to Manhattan, Paris, or London, the cost of visiting these modern nation cities could easily exceed the amount spent in Tokyo, Japan.

Apple store in Ginza Tokyo

The flight ticket prices in the months of shoulder season have been more stabilized. I have found ticket price around 700 USD (LAX to Tokyo.) Because of the reasonable flight ticket prices and great currency exchange rate (1 USD to 110 Yen), I recommend booking flights and hotels as early as possible.

Affordable Cheap Reasonable Hotels in Tokyo

Updated on June-10th-2018


Where to stay in Tokyo Japan?

Central, Clean, and Convenient and hopefully CHEAP are the fundamentals of good Tokyo Hotels in my opinion.

My secret of being able to travel to Japan very frequently is being budget smart and location efficient with my hotel stay.

With my almost 20 years of travel experience in Japan, I have hand picked a few lists of reasonable and convenient Tokyo hotel accommodation with highest values in this blog post. 

Toyoko Inn, a popular budget hotel franchise in Japan.

- I recommend booking the flight ticket first. Be specific about your travel dates. Then compare Hotel TOTAL PRICE after tax and service charges are added.

First Cabin Hotel Hakata - Review for Japan Hotel

In November 2015, I traveled to Japan using the Japan Rail Pass. While I was traveling in Fukuoka/Hakata area in Kyushu, I stayed at First Cabin Hotel (hostel) in the most bustling area in Fukuoka/Hakata city. I am posting my hotel review on my Tokyo travel blog since First Cabin hotel chain offers same setting for each of their locations throughout Japan: Akihabara, Tsukiji and Haneda terminal in Tokyo, Namba in Osaka, and Karasuma in Kyoto. All locations are highly convenient and popular.

First Cabin Hotel Hakata, new concept of accommodation in Japan

Hotel Princess Garden - Review for Tokyo Hotel

In November 2015, I traveled to Japan using the JR pass. While I was traveling in the Tokyo area, I stayed at Hotel Princess Garden off the JR Meguro station on the JR Yamanote loop line. Aside from being an inexpensive and convenient hotel, here is my latest in-depth hotel review:

Hotel Princess Garden, great value Tokyo hotel.

Japan Rail Pass Journey - Introduction to my JR pass Experience and Itinerary

In May 2010, I traveled to Japan using the 14-day Japan Rail Pass. I traveled solo. I visited as south as Kumamoto in Kyushu to as north as Asahikawa/Furano in Hokkaido, passed by many cities and walked through many local streets. I would like to start blogging about The Journey Series to share my travel itinerary and experiences with travelers who are thinking about using the JR rail pass to see more of Japan.

Japan Rail Pass Route

Japan Budget Hotel Breakfast

Many of the hotels in Japan offer high cost/performance value hotel breakfast set or buffet at reasonable prices. With huge variety of traditional Japanese family cuisine and Euro/American selections to accommodate international guests, hotel breakfast is one of the best way to start your day while traveling in Japan.

Travelers often plan having sushi, ramen, and tempura as part of their must-eat items on their trip itinerary. However, family style Japanese breakfast is also a good way to enrich food experiences in Japan. Budget hotel breakfast usually costs an additional $8 to $15 per person at the time of hotel reservation. I recommend booking the hotel room along with the breakfast option for better package discount.

Many budget hotel in Tokyo Japan offer great breakfast buffet

Japan Rail Pass

Ultra modern Shinkansen Bullet train. JR pass rocks!

Imagine having Sushi breakfast in Tokyo, Takoyaki for lunch in Osaka, and dinner in Fukuoka, without worry too much the pricey cost of Shinkansen bullet train. With careful planning prior to your trip, travel with Japan Rail Pass is definitely one of the best way to budget and save money.

Hotels and Accommodations in Tokyo

Where to stay in Tokyo Japan? What type of accommodation should stay at during your first trip to Japan?

Tokyo city offers different types of accommodation that will suit different budget and style of travelers. Types of accommodation were briefly mentioned in my "budget" post. In this post I will go into a details and introduce a few links on the choices that are either popular in my opinion or have decent reviews on TripAdvisor.

Typical budget hotel room in Tokyo