It’s time for another installment of the world famous (and Original) Gaijin Gourmet. Today I simply must introduce to you good folks a chain restaurant in Japan that, if you are traveling here on a budget and with kids, you’ll want to know about.

The restaurant is Sukiya. Sukiya has almost 2000 shops in Japan so they are everywhere you are. And most Sukiya shops are open 24 hours a day. The only shop that has more restaurants is McBurgers, but I don’t have to introduce them to you. A few reasons: 1) McBurgers is not healthy. You don’t want your kids, or yourself, to be eating that stuff. 2) Sukiya has an extremely healthy menu with lots of very reasonably priced and delicious items. 3) The kids love Sukiya!

Sukiya is a “Gyudon” chain. That means they specialize in serving some cooked meats on a bed of rice. It’s delicious and the price will drop your jaw. Since I am watching my weight, whenever I go to Sukiya, I always order the salad (there’s no salt or dressing on it, you add those yourself if you wish) and the “Healthy Gyudon” (that is called, “Gyudon Light” on the menu.) It is “light” because the calories are so low because this delicious menu item has a block of Tofu instead of the rice.

Sukiya is the ultimate answer to travelers on a budget who want to eat healthy and food that is not full of salt and oil. I give Sukiya 5+ stars. Seriously, I think you can’t beat them for taste, quality, cleanliness and price. A high quality, healthy and (Japanese style) low calorie meal can be had for as little as ¥380.

I usually order Gyudon Light (¥380 yen) and a salad (¥100) and drink the tea (free). I’m happy, I’ve eaten healthy and the damages? ¥480. Are you sitting down? That’s about $4 USD and THERE IS NO TIPPING!

Sukiya is the best. Check the photos and you be the judge.

Inside of Sukiya. This restaurant is fine to bring the entire family to.

Smaller Sukiya restaurants also have counter seating and usually tables for 4 counter

Do you like to drink beer? Of course you do. My mates and I often go to Sukiya to drink and eat little snacks. There’s no tipping, no table charge and there’s a BUNCH of great ¥100 (about $0.80 USD) things on the menu at go well with beer. The other day, three of us went there and had a few beers and some tofu and snacks. The damages? ¥1680 (about $14 USD). Where in the world can you have a few beers with friend for only $14.00?

Tons of different items on the set menus to choose from.

Sukiya morning set with baked salmon, rice, raw egg, pickled vegetables and miso soup. I can eat this everyday.

The ultimate breakfast set. Baked Salmon, rice, raw egg, pickled vegetables and miso soup. ¥380 yen!? (about $3.16!!!!). I could eat this everyday!

They’ve got all sorts of varieties of Gyudon.

Sukiya Cheese Topping Gyudon (Cheese covered Gyudon) My favorite!

My girls all seem to love the cheese topping gyudon best… Oh, don’t worry if you can’t read the menu… Just point at the photos in the menu to the pretty waitress!

Sukiya Raw Tuna sliced on a bed of rice bowl

One other thing I like to eat that is also really healthy is the sliced raw tuna on a bed of rice “Don.” Besides this item, there’s a bunch of things on the menu that will satify the vegetarian in our midst. In fact, my best friend, Ken, is a vegetarian and he likes Sukiya A LOT!

Of course, there’s also the Sukiya Curry rice!

Sukiya Kids menu

Gots kids who are picky eaters? TELL ME ABOUT IT! My son hates going out to eat, but he likes Sukiya. Any kid that likes beef or pork, will dig this restaurant.

Like I said, folks, if you are traveling to Japan and on a budget, then DEFINITELY the default restaurant for you, for healthy, safe, quality and delicious food is Sukiya.

Tell them that the “Gaijin Gourmet” sent you and they’ll probably give you some free strange looks and faces of confusion!

Enjoy!

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Looking for more great deals on cheap eats in Japan?:

Gaijin Gourmet – Best Soba Chain in Tokyo？Yude Taro and ¥220 Draft Beer?! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-best-soba-chain-in-tokyo？yude-taro-and-¥220-draft-beer/

Gaijin Gourmet: The Best Premium Salad Bar in Tokyo? – Sizzler in Setagaya robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-the-best-premium-salad-bar-in-tokyo-sizzler-in-setagaya/

Gaijin Gourmet! Great Cheap and Delicious Soba in Gaienmae on Ginza Line! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-great-cheap-and-delicious-soba-in-gaienmae-on-ginza-line/

The Gaijin Gourmet: The Best Salad Bar Deal in Tokyo at Big Boy – My Favorite Rock N Roll Diner!! robot55.jp/blog/the-gaijin-gourmet-the-best-salad-bar-deal-in-tokyo-at-big-boy-my-favorite-rock-n-roll-diner/

Tokyo’s Best Cheap Sushi is in Okachimachi!? 東京の一番安くて美味しい寿司屋？御徒町にあるの？ http://robot55.jp/blog/tokyos-best-cheap-sushi-in-okachimachi/

The Gaijin Gourmet: Soba Wars At Hanzomon Station in Tokyo robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-soba-wars-at-hanzomon-station-in-tokyo/

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Gaijin Gourmet, ビ デオ編集格安、ビデオ撮影格安、動画制作東京、格安ビデオ制作, 格安, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー,  格安, ビジネスビデオ制作, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, Delicious places to eat in Tokyo, Cheap places to eat in Tokyo, Healthy, cheap, inexpensive food, tokyo dining

This is just a post about some things that I have thought about recently that I think might help you if you have to create some news ideas. Or maybe it won’t help you (hell, I don’t know!)

One of my wild ideas is about how to make a viral photo. Another is about a hit show that we are making that is about sushi and fish as a reflection on the Human Condition and the other idea is about Indies musicians and how they can help themselves more.

First off, Indies musicians. I’d like to just touch upon something that has always been close to my heart; and that’s Indies music and Indies artists.

My Indies artist friends, listen to me and do yourselves a favor.

There are a very few DJ’s that will play Indies music. Trust that we generally catch shit from the station management for doing so, but playing and promoting indies artists is what we do.

Indies musicians need to listen to the few shows that play them and support the Indies scene. If we tell you that we are going to play your songs, please don’t ask us, “What time will you play my song?” Please listen to the entire show. If you are lucky, we play you. Either way, you get to hear what’s going on with others Indies musicians and what we do.

I hate it when, after I air a song, a few days later, some musician asks me, “When will you play our song?”　or “Did you play our tune?” Jesus! I already played your song! If you don’t have time to listen and check it out, then I don’t have time to play your song!

There’s a million artists that are dying for airplay. If you can’t bother to check it out, then why should I play your band? I remember when I was in a band and we handed our 7 inch record to a famous DJ. – I listened religiously to that show for weeks… Then, one day, the sky cracked open and it was like the hand of god reaching out to me from the skies; I heard our tune on the radio.

I’ll never forget that moment. It changed my life. That’s how important my band and our music was to me.

What would it have been like had I called the DJ up a few weeks later and said, “Did you play our song?” He would have been insulted. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. I don’t think it is a good idea to blow that one chance. But, that’s just the way I think.

Indies artists, shall I play your songs AND air check for you AND do all your promotion? If so, you ain’t going anywhere anyway and I am not going to play you anymore.

So when we play you on the radio or list your music on a chart, you have to spread the word about your music and our show! We DJs need help! I know most of us go every 3 or 6 months wondering if our show is going to get cancelled or not. We need your help to spread the word about us! I know most radio is shit, but I try to make a show that even I would listen to (most DJs don’t – that’s why their shows suck). 

I do listen to my own show. That’s how much I like the music I play. I like what I do so much, I listen to it. In fact, I make a recording of every show and listen to it religiously. I like my show. Trust that 99% of all DJs do not do that (because their shows are boring and they play the same old Top 40 like everyone else does). So, when I play your music Indies artist, and you don’t listen, what can I think? If you don’t listen to your own stuff, why should anyone else?

It’s a two-way street. We promote you; you promote us! When we play you or post about you, you must share and spread the word far and wide. Otherwise, why should I bother?

If you think I am being a douchebag about that, then please let me know and explain why…. I’m not so good at math, but I think my math works out here: I help you, you help me.

Secondly, I was thinking about – actually I am always thinking about this sort of thing; How to make a viral photo. That’s a hard one. But I did post a recent photo that received more than 8,000 views and tons of “Likes” and “Shares” on Facebook as well as being retweeted on Twitter – and other SMS sites. It was seen, probably more than anything I have ever posted on Twitter. And that includes photos along with famous people.

Here is that photo. Why did this strike a nerve with people? I have come to the conclusion that it has to do with the photo being about a daily and mundane thing, but the way the photo was taken seemed to catch people’s fancy. But I could be very wrong. If I knew how to make a viral photo every time, I wouldn’t be blogging here telling you how to do it; I’d be on a yacht in the Caribbean with bikini girls putting grapes in my mouth.

Or, perhaps it was something to do with the text I wrote? But I doubt that! Here is the text:

“自分の写真はいつもあまり好きじゃないけど、今朝奥さんが撮ってくれたこの写真はかなり気にいってる。実はテレビ番組のアニメの目玉の写真です。（リンクは下！）I never like the photos taken of me but my wife took this one this morning for me. It’s kind of weird. I like this. It’s actually a photo of my eyeball. I needed it for an animation for a TV show we are making.”

Actually, that is me…. Oh, and my eyeball…

Here is episode one of that show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCE1N_81A58

Inside of that show is another show called “Sushi Monogatari.” “Sushi Monogatari” translates into Sushi Story in English. What the story is about is that it is a parody of TV dramas as well as a mirror of our human condition from the ppint of view of fish trapped in a sushi restaurant’s aquarium. Like I said it is just like our life; we have all sorts of problems all through out our lives but the only true end to these problems is to “leave the aquarium” (meaning, for us humans, to leave this world.)

Anyway, I had to make some transitions and had to be careful of copyright infringement, so I just made my own.

Sushi Monogatari

What does this have to do with anything? I don’t know. Like I said, these are just a few of the things I have been thinking about recently.

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