But in Tokyo, I found it relatively easy to find places to eat. First of all, they are very abundant. I am convinced that someone could go eat in a different place every single day of their lives and not visit all of the restaurants of Tokyo.
Second, there is no funny business with tipping. The wait staff works for a salary, not on commission. For an astrophysicist who is utterly number challenged, that's nice. I also like it because having to worry about tipping makes the relationship with the wait staff a little awkward. While they are waiting on us, they try their very best while hoping they will get a reasonable tip. Meanwhile, we eat while debating what the proper tip would be. At least I worry about that and I don't enjoy my meal as much as I should.
Third, many restaurants have a full 3D display of their dishes, with prices. If all else fails, the wait staff will happily follow you outside so you can point to what you wanted to eat.
Fourth, with a few exceptions, meal portions are calibrated for smaller people. That's good news for me, as I could enjoy nice meals without washing yens down the drain or feeling stuffed at the end. For bigger people, that might be an issue and you may find yourself going hungry. Then plan to get a street snack later on. Some restaurants will provide extra rice. You can of course order some more food as well.
Don't be afraid to step into "holes in the wall". You never know. One interesting experience I had was in the Shibuya area. I found a little (japanese) noodle place, picked my dish in the show window and walked in. I was greeted by a vending machine.
By briefly watching people, I quickly figured out that these were ticket machines like in the subway station (by then I was an expert with these). Push button, put money in, take ticket.
Following the example of other people, I brought my ticked to the counter and handed it to the chef. He asked me a bunch of things in Japanese, and following a prolonged silence, finally took a good look at me. Some huge realization dawned on him and he whipped out a mat with two picture on it, and asked, pointing: "udon, soba?" Udon is the Japanese fat noodles, while the soba is the skinny ones. Easy enough.
A minute later, I received my tray with my noodles and side dishes. Easy as that. Water was self serve. And yes, it was pretty good.
I had another nice experience near the Asakusa temple where my hostel was. Lots of nice little places to eat there. Good and surprisingly affordable.
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