Food & Nightlife

Japanese Food Contrary to what most people think, food in Japan is relatively cheap unless you want to eat wagyu steak. The following are approximates costs for meals:
  • Low - ¥550-880
  • Mid - ¥880-2,700
  • High - ¥2,700-5,000
  • Deluxe - ¥5,000+
Thankfully you don’t have to pay a premium for food at the ski resorts, and in Hokkaido you’ll be able to get a filling lunch of ramen or curry for approximately ¥550-880. Many of the lunch spots will have a vending machine where you have to buy the ticket for your lunch, then present your ticket to one of the counters (it’s sometimes difficult to tell which one), and then wait for your meal.

Here are some of the most common foods found in Japan: :

Donburi - A bowl of cooked rice with some other food put on top of the rice. Some of the most popular toppings are tempura (see below), egg and chicken (oyakodon), and beef (gyudon).
Kare raisu - Curry rice - is cooked rice with a curry sauce.
Yakitori - Grilled skewers of chicken
Tempura - Seafood and/or vegetables coated in a light batter and deep fried
Gyoza - Dumplings with minced veggies & pork that are lightly fried.
Sushi - Pieces of raw seafood or vegetable with packed rice
Sashimi - Raw seafood served in small pieces often eaten with soya sauce and wasabi
Wasabi - Japanese horseradish root served as a condiment
Miso - Soup made of fermented soybeans & salt, often with seaweed and tofu added
Soba - Noodles made of buckwheat and wheat flour, about as thick as spaghetti - can be served cold or hot and with various toppings.
Yaki soba - Fried noodles
Udon - Noodles made of wheat flour that are thicker than soba and can also be served hot or cold and with various toppings
Ramen - Chinese style noodles prepared in a meat broth with various toppings - very common in Hokkaido.
Nabe - Hot pot dishes that are prepared in a hot pot, usually at the table, with various mushrooms, other vegetables, seafood and/or meat.
Tonkatsu - Deep fried pork cutlets usually served with shredded cabbage or with curry rice.
Okonomiyaki - A mix between pizza and pancake with ingredients such as seafood and vegetables. It is commonly topped with thinly sliced fish that appears to move – don’t be scared! 

Touristy restaurants will sell a variety of fare, but many other restaurants will specialise in just one type of cuisine such as sushi/sashimi, ramen, other noodle dishes, or BBQ style where you cook the food yourself. There are differences in cuisine between the regions and the islands.

Coffee tends to be fairly expensive in Japan as it seems to be considered fairly trendy. The cost seems rather ludicrous considering that it’s really hard to find a decent coffee in Japan. Quality hot chocolates also tend to be pricey. We love the canned hot coffee and chocolate from the vending machines. They aren’t too bad (especially when you consider how bad some of the barista made coffee is) and are super cheap.

Bars and Nightlife Except in westernised resorts such as Niseko, après drinking is not customary on the Japanese ski slopes. It seems that the custom is to finish the ski day with an onsen, go out (or stay in) for dinner, then head to bed.

Niseko has a vibrant nightlife, but in most other ski resorts the nightlife is either reasonably sedate or completely absent. Alternatively nightlife is combined with dinner. As an example, an izakaya is a Japanese style bar where you can buy drinks but also eat various appetizers.

Alcohol is pretty cheap in Japan and is readily bought in supermarkets, convenience stores, and in vending machines which you’ll find in the most surprising places. Japanese beers are great with some examples including Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin. Chu Hi mixed alcoholic drinks are also a popular choice. There’s an abundance of sake available with great variability in price and quality, and it might take a lot of practice to ascertain the difference in the latter. Spirits are also quite cheap, and it’s probably not worth the inconvenience of buying duty-free alcohol.

A popular evening activity is to participate in karaoke, one of Japan’s favourite past-times. The karaoke might not be quite what you’re used to. Instead of embarrassing yourself in front of a whole pub, you generally have to rent a room and only sing to a small group of friends.