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What's the best ISP in Tokyo for Consistent Speed ?
For example, with SoftBanks… I've gone through numerous ISP's in my time here, but since the transition to Hikari Fibre, I've found that the Actual "speed" in often no where near the Advertised speed.
For example, with SoftBanks Hibari 1Gbps service I often hit around the 160Mbps mark Download/Upload, and with my curent NTT Docomo 10Gbps I'm getting around 1.4Gbps - so it seems you get a 10th of what you're paying for.
Is that the same others are experiencing ?
And, how come they can get away with this ?
EDIT: I have a House, with a single fibre-optic cable going into it. Everytime I change provider, they cut and feed a new cable into the house, initially I see the same performance as advertised, though a month or two later, it nose dives.
is this other people experience ?
The nosedive after a month is almost certainly the neighborhood fiber splitter getting congested as more people sign up. NTT's FLET'S Hikari uses a shared PON (Passive Optical Network) system where you're splitting bandwidth with up to 32 other houses on the same line from the telecom cabinet. When you first get connected, it's quiet, then as your neighbors trickle in over the next few weeks, your slice shrinks.
For a house, you might want to look into NTT's "FLET'S Hikari Cross" with a dedicated line option, or check if NURO (Sony's fiber) is available in your area. NURO runs its own fiber to the home instead of piggybacking on NTT's shared lines, and in my experience in Setagaya it's been more consistent, usually getting 700-800Mbps on the 2Gbps plan even during peak hours. They use a different tech called "G-PON" that's not as oversubscribed.
As for why they get away with it, the fine print in the contract says "best effort" speeds, not guaranteed. The Consumer Affairs Agency has received complaints but hasn't pushed for real regulation because the telcos argue it's technically impossible to guarantee peak speeds on shared infrastructure. It's frustrating but that's the reality of Japan's fiber market.
You're describing the classic Tokyo fiber bait-and-switch and everyone here has been through it. The 10:1 ratio is basically the industry standard because NTT's PON system splits one line across 32 homes, and the "best effort" clause in the contract lets them off the hook legally. The Consumer Affairs Agency has looked into it but the telcos argue it's technically impossible to guarantee peak speeds on shared infrastructure, so nothing changes.
The nosedive after a month is almost certainly your local splitter getting saturated as new signups get added. When the installer cuts and re-runs your line, they're usually splicing into the same distribution box that everyone else in your neighborhood uses. Ask them to check the load on their tablet and request a different cabinet if possible, some techs will accommodate if you push.
For a house, look into whether NURO is available in your area, they run their own fiber separate from NTT's shared system. I'm in Suginami on their 2G plan and get 700-900Mbps consistently even at 9pm on weekends, which is lightyears better than the 160Mbps I was getting on SoftBank. Also check your ONU model, some of the older ones can't handle the full speed even if the line could, and upgrading that at Yodobashi for around 5000 yen might help.
nuero is probably your best bet if it's available, they run their own lines separate from ntt's shared pon system so you don't get the same neighborhood congestion. i'm in meguro on nuero's 2g plan and i get around 700-900mbps consistently even at 9pm on a saturday, which is way better than the 10-15% i got on softbank
the nosedive thing is real though, and it's not just the splitter. when they cut and re-run the line they're often splicing into an already crowded distribution point. ask the installer exactly which box they're connecting you to and if there's room on a less loaded one, sometimes they'll work with you if you push. most techs know which cabinets are oversold but won't volunteer it
also check if your house has an older NTT terminal box, some of the pre-2015 ones use cheap splitters that degrade over time. replacing that with a newer model from yodobashi for about 5000 yen fixed a lot of my consistency issues
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Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.