Important things to know about food and money when visiting TOKYO!!
1) Bring money! Some restaurants and shops only accept cash and even a few places that accept credit cards only accept Japanese credit cards. Cash is good, but you'll get a better exchange rate if you carry travelers checks. I always recommend exchanging at least half of the money you're going to spend at the exchange counter at Narita airport. Otherwise it's sometimes hard to find exchange places around the city, because the Japanese banks don't offer the service at most of their branches. A couple of places where you can exchange your money is Mizuho bank and Citibank in Shinjuku. Some large hotels also have their own exchange counters.
2) Please try to avoid the fast food pits you'll see all around the city ie. McDonald's, KFC and Wendy's. Be daring and try to sample the different types of Japanese food, it's not just limited to sushi. For the most part they're all pretty good, I have yet to eat at a sub-average restaurant. Ask your hotel concierge for a good okonomiyaki place (a type of pancake mix filled with seafood, meat, veggies, etc..) or try some Japanese curry. It's not as spicy as Indian curry and there are plenty of those restaurants all over Japan. Some restaurants have English on the menus, but for the most part, you have to make do with pointing at a picture on the menu and saying "kudasai". I'll give more details for specific restaurants in later posts.
