aww man, shrimp tastes goood... i can't generalize for all of japan but you definitely don't have to bust the bank to eat out there. tokyo and osaka, for example, are unfairly labelled as hyper expensive cities but there are cheap places abound. then you can get really regional and tasty and that doesn't mean expensive.
izakayas are supposed to be cheap places where you can get a nice variety of food along with your beer..and not the other way around which seems to be prevalent here. you can get the higher end stuff but that's kinda contradictory and generally at the cost of a rowdier atmosphere..which is what you want! ematei has great food but lacks atmosphere and ironically, you don't get much of the younger japanese crowd there. they're smart enough to know that korea town is the better bargain!!
the most authentic izazkaya i've seen outside of japan is in nyc of all places. it's called kennka (it means fight) and it's in st.mark's place in the east village. cheap food from an authentic menu, and pints of super dry for $2.50!! complete with rightwing proganda music blaring over the PA and make-your-own cotton candy.