We're Digital Nomads Living in Osaka, Japan. Here's What We Eat.
The food is cheap, but we've been surprised to discover we don't like Japanese cuisine nearly as much as we thought we would.
Michael and I are digital nomads, and when I wrote about our day-to-day meals while living in Taipei, Taiwan, people seemed very interested.
We’re living in Osaka, Japan, now — another country where kitchens are small, and people tend to eat a lot of meals out, especially in the city centers.
But as before, this is not the kind of article that tries to dazzle you with pictures of our nicest meals out on the town. No, listed here are the meals at the various restaurants near our apartment that we return to again and again for our casual dining.
We’re including prices (in USD), but do keep in mind that the exchange rate is currently excellent. Also, there is no tipping, and taxes are included in the price.
The Sushi Stand in the Nearby Shopping Arcade
Osaka loves its shopping arcades. There’s a very local one near our latest apartment, and we’ve gone to the sushi counter there a couple of times.
For dinner, I always supplement the sushi with stir-fried veggies that I make myself.
Price per meal per person: $4.25, or $3.75 (for the sushi) + $0.50 (for the veggies).
But honestly, this place’s sushi isn’t very good, and we won’t be going back. For casual sushi, we’ve had better luck at grocery stores.
Sadly, most of the other restaurants in the arcade haven’t been any good either.
The Little Nepalese Restaurant Just Down the Street
I’ve said before that I think Indian food is the most “reliable” of any cuisine — the most likely to be “good.”
Nepalese is very similar to Indian — I hope I don’t offend anyone when I say it seems exactly the same to me. Anyway, on my way to our gym, I noticed this little Nepalese place and was very eager to try it.
It turned out to be fantastic.
When dining out, I usually order vegetarian, and Michael gets meat — usually chicken. Then we share a bit.
So far, we’ve only eaten here for lunch, because it’s about 15% cheaper than dinner. Either way, it’s possibly the best food value we’ve ever had in all our years of travel.
Price per meal per person: $6 — including drinks!
Various Ramen Places
This being Japan, we’re never far from a ramen place, and it’s always some degree of “good.”
