Fair Food Prices

Food culture

Tokyo runs on a tiered snacking economy: konbini food is good enough that plenty of people eat a full meal standing at the register, but one step up, department-store basement food halls (depachika) sell the same categories — bento, sushi, pastries — made by named specialty vendors and finished to a visibly higher standard. Most weekday meals are eaten solo and fast at a ramen counter or a standing bar (tachinomi), with no tipping and not much small talk expected. The sharpest price swings show up around wagyu and sushi-grade fish, where the same cut or species can cost several times more once it's graded A5 or served by a named sushi chef instead of at a conveyor-belt chain.