We Spent 24 Hours Eating Only 100-Yen Foods

How cheap can you go in Tokyo? We spent a whole day eating only food we could find for 100 yen or less. That’s right — ¥100 (well, technically ¥110 with tax). Here’s where we went, and what we ate in 24 hours.

Pro tip: Go into more residential areas for bargain bites. You won’t find many 100-yen eats in the tourist areas — even if the AI snippet says Ameyokocho has a lot of options, it doesn’t; we tried and tested it out.

1. Niki no Kashi — Ueno

This confectionery store in Ueno sells a lot of dry foods such as snacks and sweets. Many items are over ¥100, but if you head to the back of the ground floor, you’ll find a section full of old-school retro snacks, also known as dagashi.

Prices for these snacks start from as little as ¥15 and go up to around ¥80. They may not be that filling alone, but you can buy a bunch and munch on them throughout the day.

Some of our top picks include umaibo (a corn puff snack) which costs around ¥15, and Kabayaki Santaro (a chewy, seasoned fish snack), which costs ¥30. We even found a Butamen cup noodle for ¥90.

Niki no Kashi

Address:4-1-8 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo

Hours:10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Sun

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2. Iseya — Sugamo

Near to Sugamo Station, we found this gem. Iseya is a small confectionery stall that sells a variety of traditional sweets and savory items, including manjū, donuts, and mochi, just to name a few.

The majority of the items are under ¥500, but we found two that were exactly ¥100. These were inari (rice stuffed in tofu pouches) and a pickle maki sushi roll. They were ¥100 each, but that said, it’s common to see inari sold in a small set at the supermarket for less. This one was very fresh though, which made it worth it.

Iseya

Address:3-21-17 Sugamo, Toshima City, Tokyo

Hours:9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon-Sun

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3. Oshiage Senbei Minamide Shoten — Sugamo

Senbei (traditional Japanese rice crackers) are a staple Japanese snack. You can easily buy them in small packs at the supermarket, but you can also find some bigger handmade ones at special senbei shops like Oshiage Senbei Minamide Shoten.

Most of the single big crackers here cost ¥100, so we got the yaki nori one. Although nice and crunchy, it was on the thinner side, meaning this ¥100 find was more of a small snack than a more substantial meal — though most of the other places on this list were the same, to be fair.

Pro tip: Make sure to have some cash on you for these smaller stores. They might not accept cards/payment apps.

Oshiage Senbei Minamide Shoten — Rice Crackers

Address:4-14-13 Sugamo, Toshima City, Tokyo

Hours:10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon-Sun; Closed on Tue

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4. Tsuruya — Sugamo

Although the bento boxes at this small stall are nearer to ¥1,000, we found that some of the additional menu items are ¥100 a piece. These include a bowl of miso soup and korokke (a Japanese potato croquette). Both were good — especially the korokke — a nice crunch with a soft potato filling.

There are actually a few other places across Tokyo that you can find korokke for under ¥100 but we don’t want to reveal too many!

Tsuruya — Tasty Bento

Address:3-6-1 Nishisugamo, Toshima City, Tokyo

Hours:10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon-Sun

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5. Comodi IIDA Nishi-Sugamo — Sugamo

Ah, the trusted supermarket. This it the hack to save money — go to supermarkets in Tokyo instead of convenience stores, as prices tend to be cheaper across the board for drinks and snacks. However, it can still be a little hard to find foods for ¥100 or less.

Rarely can you even get onigiri (rice balls) for exactly ¥100 anymore. But you can find love-or-hate-it superfoods like natto (fermented soybeans) for just under ¥100. We also found in this supermarket that some savory snacks and bread were ¥70 to ¥100, so that’s exactly what we got.

Comodi IIDA Nishi-Sugamo

Address:3-6-5 Nishisugamo, Toshima City, Tokyo

Hours:9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon-Sun

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6. IKEA — Shibuya

Everyone’s favorite flat-pack furniture shop is also known for its cheap food. The bistro at the end is where you can find the best items, such as the iconic hotdog, which is, as you guessed, only ¥100.

Other ¥100 items include the veggie dog, cinnamon roll, plant-based soft serve ice cream, plant-based fried chicken and fried chicken.

Luckily, you can just pop in through the back of the store to access the bistro without having to go through the crowds of shoppers. There are a few standing counters where you can enjoy your ¥100. Though keep in mind — it can get busy, especially at the Shibuya store, given how much everyone loves those cheap hot dogs.

Honorable mentions

Hanbey

This Showa-style izakaya is known for its cheap eats including classic Japanese favorites like yakitori, oden, and other fried foods.

You can easily find menu items for ¥90, such as the items pictured above. However, here is the catch: you have to pay a ¥500 seating charge and buy a drink, so I guess it doesn’t really count as being purely ¥100.

It’s still a worthy mention though, as you could definitely get semi-full on these ¥100 items, plus, it’s one of the only proper dining experiences (where you can sit down). On top of this, you even receive a goodie bag full of old-school Japanese snacks like umaibo.

Pro tip: Some other izakaya in Tokyo also have ¥100 items and will showcase these on their menu. Before you head in thinking you’ve got a bargain though, double-check the seating fee and any other house rules (e.g. having to order a drink).

100-yen stores

Of course, the most obvious place to pick up ¥100 items is the ¥100 store. The big names include Daiso, Lawson 100, Can Do and Seria — though there are many more local ones as well.

It’s easy to find snacks and drinks for ¥100, but fresh food or something more substantial like onigiri or sandwiches are harder to find. The main things you might pick up here include cup noodles, cooking ingredients (like sauces), jellies, and other sweet snacks.

Local grocers

It’s a known fact that fruit isn’t cheap in Japan. That doesn’t mean you can’t sometimes find fruit for ¥100 in local grocers, but it’s not easy. You’ll mainly find cheaper veggies.

The cheapest vegetables tend to be moyashi (beansprouts) for around ¥30 a bag. Most fruit tends to be over ¥100 a piece, with fruit like bananas being roughly priced at ¥120 – ¥300.

One place you might find ¥100 fruit is in the countryside. Some locals sell their homegrown fruit and leave them in cardboard boxes at the front of their houses with a donation box. For example, this writer once got a pack of fresh oranges for just ¥100 on the way to the Odawara Plum Blossom Festival. Bargain.

Summary

So, can you eat in Tokyo for just one coin? Maybe a ¥500 one, but you can’t get very much for a single ¥100 coin. You’ll need to use quite a few!

In the end, we got 23 items for roughly ¥1,780 (without tax and the ¥500 service charge for Hanbey). Did we end up feeling full? Not really, but it’s good to know that items for ¥100 still exist, though they’re limited!

We also found quite a lot of street food that cost between ¥120 to ¥150 a serving, which is still very cheap (the editor insisted we stick to a budget of ¥100 an item, though).

What’s probably more helpful to know is that it is definitely possible to get a full meal for ¥1,000 in Tokyo. Check out our series on the best ¥1,000 eats on our Instagram for ideas for a proper lunch or dinner:

While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change.