Before the Kitchen: ALT Eating

Posted on 09/30/2022 Last updated on 09/29/2022

Top Photo: santamaさん on PhotoAC

When you first come to Japan as a Borderlink ALT, you may spend the first several weeks in a hotel. And when you move into your apartment, you might not have immediate access to kitchen appliances such as a fridge, microwave or stove – it might take days or a week for them to arrive. In this buffer period before you have a proper kitchen, how should you approach the question of food?

If money isn’t an issue for you, you can always eat out. Even if you like to live frugally (like I do), I’d encourage treating yourself at a restaurant every so often. Look for somewhere you’ve never been to and explore. Or, find a place you like with low prices and explore their menu every time you come.

Restaurants

I really recommend places that offer teishoku (定食), or set meals. These meals include rice, soup and all sorts of vegetable-based sides for you to discover alongside the main meal. Take your time enjoying the soup – it heals your soul after the often frenetic move-in. Pictured is kaki fry (カキフライ), fried oysters. This dish has a nice crunchiness and a soft interior. I learned how much I loved this dish shortly after landing in Japan.

However, at the time of writing, we live in a time of coronavirus. Depending on the country you’re coming from, you might not be able to enter restaurants yet due to quarantine. And of course, I wouldn’t advise burning a hole in your wallet by eating at a restaurant every day. One other, cheaper choice would be a…

Konbini

Japan’s well-known konbini, or convenience stores. These konbini offer anything you might need at a moment’s notice. They’re most famous for having a great variety of delicious meals, from complete bentos like the one pictured, to onigiri, fried chicken, sushi, etc. One meal that I have to recommend is the egg sandwich. I bought it once in a set of two sandwiches – cutlet sandwich and egg sandwich – and the impeccably fluffy egg sandwich was my unexpected favorite.

If you’re in the mood to eat out but you don’t want to burn cash at a restaurant, head to a konbini. You can even dine in, since many offer tables with outlets for your phone or laptop. Depending on your level of Japanese, you can read the magazines that are available at any konbini, too.

But, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t go to the konbini for food nearly as much as most foreigners do. That’s because I have the good fortune of living right next to a…

Grocery Stores

This is the cheapest choice for premade meals. Grocery stores offer not only complete meals but components of meals, like main dishes, salads and plain cooked rice for you to mix and match. The selection varies significantly from store to store, so feel free to explore.

In the day, the prices are slightly lower but comparable to convenience stores. However, at a certain time of night, either around 7 PM or two hours before the grocery stores close, discounts will be placed on them to encourage people to buy. And many people swoop in at exactly that time of night to do so! If you arrive too late, you might find the premade meal section empty.

You can find discounts for anywhere from 20% off or even as much as 80% off (it depends on the store). One word to keep an eye out for is hangaku (半額): half price.

Enjoy, and good eating!

Photo Credits:

Top Photo: santamaさん on PhotoAC

All additional images taken and provided by Mark Fretheim, used with permission.