http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/10/dining/10TOKY.html

In Tokyo, Lots to Eat for Very Little
By ELAINE LOUIE

Published: March 10, 2004

IN Tokyo, one of the most expensive cities in the world, where a cantaloupe is $17 and a glass of French white wine is $25, it is possible to eat an entire meal, excluding liquor, for $25 a person.

The secret? Follow the Japanese middle class, the "office girls" and "salary men" to their favorite restaurants, like a sushi place on the edge of the Tsukiji fish market or restaurants specializing in tonkatsu, a cutlet of the most tender pork, wrapped in a flaky, golden panko crust and nestled in a three-inch-high Mount Fuji of freshly grated crunchy cabbage.