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Tennis in Tokyo - how easy is it to play regularly?
How easy is it to play regularly (multiple times per week) in Tokyo?… Hi, I may have an opportunity to move to Japan, but I'd like to make sure I can still enjoy my hobbies, particularly tennis, so:
How easy is it to play regularly (multiple times per week) in Tokyo?
Does anybody here have experience with local clubs, or used local matchmaking websites?
A lot of people overlook the university courts. Schools like Waseda and Keio have tennis facilities that are open to the public for a small fee, usually around 800 yen per session, and they're less competitive to book than the city-run ones. You just need to check their individual schedules online since they're not always available during exam periods or club activities. For finding partners, I'd try the Tokyo Tennis Network on Facebook over the apps, it's more active for setting up regular weekly games rather than one-off matches. The key is picking a neighborhood near a few different options, because relying on a single court can get frustrating when it's booked solid for weeks.
fwiw i play 3-4 times a week and the biggest thing is just how far courts are from each other. like if you live near a private club you're set but if you're in a residential area the nearest court might be a 30 min train ride. i'd check google maps for tennis courts near your potential apartment before signing anything. the public ones in yoyogi park are a pain to book but the vibe is nice, lots of older guys playing doubles on weekday mornings. a friend uses the site tennis-off.com to find partners and he says it's better than tennis mate for english speakers since you can filter by language. just dont expect to find a regular weekly partner in the first month, it takes some time to build a network.
honestly the private club route is the way to go if you can swing it. i'm at a place in shinjuku that's like 15k a month and i can book 3 times a week no problem, the courts are omni-surface so it's easier on the knees than the hard courts at the public parks. for finding games there's a line group called tokyo tennis circle that's more active than tennis mate imo, people post last-minute cancellations all the time so you can snag a slot same day. just be ready for the humidity in summer, it's brutal on clay courts near the river.
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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.