Food & Drinks
Here’s What $500 Gets You for Sushi in New York City Versus Tokyo
In the Big Apple, you might not have enough to add a drink; in Japan, it could be a meal for 30.
Traditional Edomae sushi at Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo. The weak yen has made even the city's most famous sushi restaurants seem affordable.
Photographer: Ikuhiro Yoneda/Yomiuri Shimbun/AP PhotoJust five years ago, a US tourist visiting Japan would have paid a small fortune — close to $500 — for a ¥50,000 omakase meal at a high-end sushi counter in Tokyo. Today, the same meal will cost the visitor just a little over $300.
The notable price drop comes because of the weak yen, which has fallen around 30% against the dollar over the past 5 years and hit 38-year lows in July. With the lopsided exchange rate, even Tokyo’s most famous sushi restaurants now feel affordable.