The economic downturn continues to affect all parts of Japanese society with long-term repercussions for some. Restaurant operators in Japan saw a 1.5 percent drop in total sales in 2009. That figure may seem small, but it's the first decline in six years. This survey by the Japan Food Service Association shows that the food-loving Japanese are tightening their purse strings as never before.

The number of customers and the amount they spent dropped last year. Japanese-style pubs including izakaya were especially hard hit, with 6 percent lower income. Customers at traditional-style coffee shops (kissaten) tumbled 5 percent. The only sector to benefit was fast-food chains with a 2.5 percent rise in revenues and 2.7 percent gain in customers. That marks a potentially significant shift in Japan's overall spending.

Many people who would have eaten out at restaurants just two years ago now dine at home, perhaps munching on leftovers, according to a recent poll by a nonprofit group, the Doggy Bag Committee. Apparently, 90 percent of people in the Kanto, Kansai and Chubu regions would take leftovers home from restaurants. If this trend continues, asking for a doggy bag after a meal may become as common as saying "Gochisou-sama deshita."