Every article about Japan printed in the non-Japanese press about culture should be taken with a bag, not a grain, of salt. The accuracy of such articles is almost always suspect - whether it comes to food, pets, or otherwise.

Food is about as expensive here as it is in New York given the current dollar/yen rate -- that is you can get fleeced if you want to be fleeced, or get a great meal at a normal price. Cuisines with less demand and fewer countrypeople will not be as good and not be inexpensive (namely Mexican food, but you're not here to eat that, I hope )

Back on topic, the only operational difference between Suica and Pasmo is the issuing entity (JR vs other). It makes zero difference for everyone except for locals* -- those who want to use the View ATMs, in which case they need a View Suica credit card.

* Or if you like collecting these things -- in which case, go seek and catch them all (Suica, Icoca, Manaca, Pasmo, etc.)!