There are many large restaurant and fast food chains in Japan. They offer high-quality food at reasonable prices. If you’re travelling around Japan and don’t know where to eat, these restaurants are a safe option.
Conveyer Belt Sushi
Conveyor belt sushi is popular in Japan. You can either pick up sushi from the conveyor belt or order using a touchscreen display. Popular and affordable sushi chains include Sushiro (スシロー), Hama-sushi (はま寿司) and Kura-sushi (くら寿司). Chojiro (長次郎) is a more expensive, middle-class sushi restaurant.
Kura-sushi (くら寿司) is slightly cheaper than Sushiro. There are 12 Kura-sushi in Kyoto City including restaurants near Kinkakuji Temple and Nijyo-jo Castle.
Hama-sushi (はま寿司) There are five Hama-sushi in Kyoto, and one is near Kinkakuji.
Fast-food Chains
Fast, cheap and delicious. Fast-food chains are easy to find if you are in a big city.
Gyudon (牛丼)
Beef and Rice Bowl
Gyudon is a Japanese food made of steamed rice topped with thinly sliced beef and onion seasoned with soy-sauce based sweet sauce. To make it hot, add red pepper (唐辛子 or ７味) and/or pickled red ginger, Beni-syoga (紅ショウガ). Many gyudon shops are open 24 hours and serve other dishes besides gyudon, such as Japanese breakfasts and curries. One great feature of these gyudon shops is that you can order gyudon in various sizes: small, regular, large, extra large, super extra large, and so on. Below are three major chains. You should be able to find a gyudon shop easily if you are in a big city.
Chinese Restaurant
Ohsho (王将): the full name is ‘Gyoza no Ohsho’, meaning ‘the king of dumplings’. Founded in Kyoto, Ohsho is the most popular Chinese chain restaurant in the city. Now, you can find Ohsho in most major cities in Japan. My favorite dishes are Gyoza (Dumplings), Subuta (Sweet & Sour Pork), Hoikoro (Twice Cooked Pork), Kanitama (Crab Flavored Omelet), Chahan (Pork Fried Rice), Agesoba (Deep Fried Noodles).