Things I didn't try early on: Family Restaurants

One thing I love about living here is the abundance of reasonably priced family restaurant chains, but (funnily enough) I only really tried them after a few years when I had a family myself! Of course, I wish I'd embraced them sooner, because they have loads of options for food without burning a hole in your wallet.

A no-fuss pasta dish at Saizeriya that was only a few hundred yen.

Chains like Saizeriya, Gusto, Jonathan's, Coco's, and Royal Host are everywhere for a reason. They're consistent, and I think when you're feeding kids, that's something that really matters. There's usually something familiar enough to avoid a meltdown for the toddler aged little ones, but the menu is still interesting enough that adults don't feel like they're settling.