~31~

Hello~
I thought about making a note about living costs in Japan for a pretty long time. I'll also compare it to living costs in Poland (cause I know only about living costs there).

Since I have to buy food here,a lot of daily use products like shampoo, conditioners and also cleaning stuff I started to remember the prices so as not to be forced to eat only rice and wash myself with water only.

☆FOOD☆

First and the most important rule when you come to Japan is that you CAN'T eat western food the whole time unless you're rich and can afford it.
The second is that - NO JAPANESE DON'T EAT SUSHI EVERYDAY. What's more they also has an image that sushi is expensive food and women don't want to prepare it because it's too annoying.
And NO JAPANESE DON'T EAT DOGS AND CATS. They rather buy a cake for their cat. And believe me they're doing it.

1. RICE
You can buy a rice to self-prepare in special mashine which is called 精米機 (seimaiki).

This is machine I have at home and it's a little bit old (BUT WORKING!). It makes rice in about 30 minutes and when it's finished it'll keep the rice warm until you turn it off. So when you want to eat dinner you don't have to prepare rice just before you want to eat, but you can make it in the morning and in the afternoon the rice will be still warm and ready to put it into the bowl.
!! In Japanese culture you have to eat EVERY SINGLE GRAIN of rice. Leaving rice isn't polite and don't do it in the public or in official situations. It's difficult because rice is getting hard and it's allmost impossible to eat it all, but it's better to try.
You can buy this kind of rice in various packages - 2kg, 5kg and even 10kg. 2kg costs about 800-1000yen (from 20-40zl). A rice from earthquake regions is much cheaper. 5kg of rice will cost about 1200-2800 yen(generally about 40-70zl).

Also there is instant rice~ You can buy it in packages like this:

This is one portion (but I can eat only half of it and I'm full). To make this rice you just have to put inside microwave and wait 5-6 min. 

2.FISH&MEAT

If you don't eat meat or fishes you can just skip it.

Firstly - yes it's true that japanese eat raw fish and you can buy it in the supermarket. But a lot of japanese think that it's awful and they don't eat raw fish.

But of course you can buy it. I really love sushi and I'm making it really often, but when I went to the supermarket for the first time I didnt know WHICH fish is raw. 

Generally raw fish has no skin and has a sticker that they're raw.

This is salmon and it's not so expensive. Only 369yen(-30%)[10-12zl without discount] for such a big part of fish;;

this is normal fish, which you CAN'T eat raw.

I have no meat right now in the fridge, but it's not so expensive. Everyday when the market is closing there are really big discounts (sometimes -80%). But of course you have to be carefull, I've bought raw tuna and it had so bloody taste that I couldn't eat it at all... Don't even mention that it was covered in blood. That was so awful and horrible experiance that I'm afraid of buying tuna.

The simpliest dinner ever is tonkatsu - meat costs about 300 yen for 2 portions (9zl). You just need egg and dry bread.

3.FRUITS&VEGETABLES

And now everyone who loves fruits should cry.

1 apple - 90yen (~2,70zl)

1 orange - 90yen (~2,70zl)

1 kiwi - 135yen (~4zl)

1 grapefruit - 135yen (~4zl)

The cheapest fruit is banana -  you can buy 4-5 banana for 90yen~

Vegetables also aren't so cheap (GOD WHY...)

tomato - 4 tomato - 380yen (almost 11zl)

And... strawberries. Luckily I got them today (as a present)

as you can see the price is 400 yen (with tax) 

and they're so beautiful, red and really sweet ;;

ok, in Poland you can buy much much more strawberries for the same price, but believe me that this one are really sweet ;;

Btw. when I commented "wow, they're really delicious" my bf's mother told me "of course, if weren't nobody will buy them".

wow...

In Poland everyone has to buy, because there is no choice... That's why Japan is such a good and comfortable country to live in...

4.WESTERN FOOD

Spaghetti? Pizza?

Of course you can buy it in the nearest supermarket of konbini~

At first- Japanese has not oven at houses, their microwave has a oven program, but believe me, I can't believe that it can stands such a temperature...

in one package it was about 4 pizza - 270yen

4. FASTFOODS&RESTAURANTS

The most famous type of restaurant is family restaurant (famiresu). You can go with your friend and sit there the whole night and drink all the time when you buy drink bar (about 300 yen so it's like 6~8zl). 

My favourite familyrestaurant is saizeria (italian restaurant). Luckily it's about 6min from my home.

Pizza - 399yen (about 12zl) [not really big, as you can see]

McDonald - THE SAME.

The only one difference is that you have to order a SET. For example cheeseburger set - cheeseburger, cola, chips - I don't really remember the price, but about 600 yen? (18zl)

I will continue this one, so if you want to read about something write your opinion in the comment!

Sorry for my english.

~30~

Hisashiburiiiii~

AT FIRST:

• About what do you want me to write? If you have any question or ideas of topic I can write note about leave me a comment~
• What language should I use? English or polish? (Iknow that my english is poor...I don't talk in english at all...)

Since hanami season has already finished (but I couldn't do hanami;;) I'll post some photos of Sakura.

In Japan hanami is really special and during weather forecast there's special part which is "sakura forecast". Acording to that you can plan your hanami. Unfortunately this year it was so rainy that sakura has fallen down pretty fast...

At first - what was really shocking... sakura isn't so pink that I've imagined. Pink sakura is in different part of Japan - but Tokyo's sakura is white. At first it was pink, but at least became perfectly white.

The Yoyogi's park entrance

first sakura (as you can see everyone is taking pictures XD)

*-*

Next day I went to Ueno park~

That was when hanami season has started and there were some special prepared place for people to sit and eat. Of course most people were adults and they weren't only drinking... They had really a lot of food, some of them also little kitchen.. Some were so LOUD.. Playing drinking games or just screaming "DRINK, DRINK". But anyway it was looking really nice. Police everywhere (and it's not polish police - they're really working).

(I'll write another post about ueno park)

And one more time Yoyogi park. Went there alone with book ;__;

way to the station near my house~

just strange grup

I'm waiting for comments with your opinion~~