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think_balance · Joined: 02 Jul 2008 Posts: 67 Location: Japan

Okay, this may be a weird question. No, actually it IS a weird question.

Anyway, I eat mostly chicken and pasta. I realize food is expensive in Japan and I'm curious what boneless / skinless chicken *beep* cost in Japan. And what about pasta? This would be at the market, not at a restaurant.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Roughly 45-100 yen per 100 grams.

Depends on a lot of factors.

wayne432 · Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Posts: 255

You could hit up costco depending on where you might be... me and my friends have at it with chickens/pastas/soups etc

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I don't think food is particularly expensive in Japan- that's an often-repeated myth. Packs of spaghetti or macaroni and boneless chicken are among the more reasonably priced items although I can't give you exact prices off the top of my head.

AgentMulderUK · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 1:05 pm Post subject:

Chicken is cheap here, considered (so my other half tells me) to be poor man's meat.

Pasta is reasonably priced.

Your're in luck.

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

Chicken breast is cheap, thigh is more expensive but still less that other meat. Good pasta is expensive. Mediocre pasta is cheap. Aim for the middle.

AgentMulderUK · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:47 pm Post subject:

Good pasta is expensive?In Japan? oO I think not.

One of the standard options here for families (or even schoolkids) are the very reasonably prices pasta family restaurants (eg Mama Mias). All perfectly acceptable quality. Doesn't compare to what I had in Italy, but it wouldn't would it. And for the money it's totally fine.

It's so prevalent here that its hard to cross a road without seeing either a McD's , an eikaiwa or a pasta restaurant. Competition makes for low prices.

If you are talking about the flashy stuff, then of course its going to cost but then you are talking about day to day living and not dining at fancy restaurants.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

For dry pasta that you cook yourself, the imported stuff is relatively expensive but so is pretty much all food in import shops.

At the discount food store on the corner near where I live, a 500gm pack of spaghetti was around 200 yen last night. I'm sure it's not the best quality, but to tell you the truth all spaghetti tastes the same to me, so I buy it. If you have a refined palate where pasta is concerned you may want to spend a bit more.

AgentMulderUK · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 11:56 pm Post subject:

I found eating out was so cheap, I couldn't justify the expense of ingredients or the gas to cook it.

I think if you are saving each yen, life wouldn't be much fun. I think that is one of the best things about Japan. You can actually go out and eat a lot of nights each week, something which is unthinkable for my home country.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Places like Ootoya or Tenya are just amazing. You can get a large, filling, and reasonably nutritious meal for 600-800 yen- nowhere in NZ you could do that for $6-$8 that I know of.

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

AgentMulderUK · Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:55 am Post subject:

Yep and I was just telling him/her to eat out more. Not worth the hassle of cooking it.

Hoser · Joined: 19 Mar 2005 Posts: 694 Location: Toronto, Canada

Boneless chicken breast is generally about 1/3 of the price that we would have to pay in Canada.

think_balance · Joined: 02 Jul 2008 Posts: 67 Location: Japan

I appreciate the feedback.

Is fruit expensive? I suspect oranges are hard to come by and cost a lot. What about apples?

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Mandarin oranges are actually grown here and are very plentiful and relatively cheap (about 300 yen a kilo in this season). Florida type oranges I'm not sure as I don't usually buy them, but I don't think they're hard to come by.

Apples are huge, as in baby's-head size, and fairly expensive even in season- usually at least 100 yen for one, although smaller ones can be bought slightly cheaper.

Bananas are super cheap by Japanese standards- 99 yen year-round for a bunch of 4 or 5 at my local supermarket. Things like pineapples are also surprisingly cheap- �250 yen or so for a whole one.

Strawberries are �298-�398 for a pack in this season, watermelon �250 for a quarter fruit in summer- basically you have to wait for fruit to be in season otherwise you pay through the nose. If you feel inclined you can pay �10,000 for a perfect canteloupe/rock melon, but a normal one would be only �500 or so in summer.