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Thinking about staying in a sharehouse, anyone with experience with Oakhouse?
Also if anyone has any other suggestions other than airbnb for apartments id appreciate it!
For a 3-month stay, the Oakhouse contract flexibility is actually one of the better options since most apartments want 2-year leases and key money. The 10m^2 thing won't change but 80k is solid for the location if it's central. I'd ask which specific house you're looking at though, the Meguro and Koenji locations have way better common spaces than the one in Ikebukuro.
If you're set on a sharehouse, check out the ones in Shimokitazawa or Kichijoji. You'll pay closer to 90k but the neighborhood vibe makes up for the smaller room. The 40-person houses tend to have a rotation of short-term guests so it's harder to build anything consistent. Borderless House does weekly events like ramen outings or movie nights that actually get people out of their rooms.
For Airbnb, you're looking at 120k minimum for something that isn't a converted closet, and you'll have zero built-in social life. A solid middle ground is a guesthouse in Asakusa or Nippori where you get a private room but share bathrooms and a kitchen with maybe 8-10 people. Those tend to attract travelers and remote workers so you'll naturally run into folks at breakfast.
I've been in a similar boat - did a 3-month stay in an Oakhouse in Nakano a couple years back. The 10m^2 thing is accurate, you're basically living in a capsule with a window. 80k is fair for that size but check if they're charging extra for utilities or cleaning fees, some Oakhouse locations tack on another 10-15k monthly.
For actually meeting people, the 40-person houses can be hit or miss. I visited a friend at the big one near Kitasenju and it felt more like a hostel where everyone keeps to themselves. The smaller Oakhouse properties (8-12 people) tend to work better for socializing since you end up sharing the kitchen with the same folks daily.
If you want my honest take for a 3-month trip, check out Sakura House instead. They do short-term contracts without the upfront key money nonsense, and their houses in Yotsuya or Iidabashi have a better layout than the jail cell look you're describing. You'll pay closer to 95k but the common areas are actually designed for people to hang out, not just a narrow hallway with doors.
i lived in an oakhouse in setagaya for a bit, not a 40 person one tho. that size sounds kinda intense for actually making friends honestly, too many people and everyone just sticks to their own cliques. the 10m^2 thing is real, it's basically a bedroom with a mini fridge and thats it, but 80k is decent for tokyo if utilities are included.
for 3 months and wanting social, check out borderless house or gg house instead. smaller houses, more community feel, and they actually do events. oakhouse felt more like a dorm where people just sleep.
if you want more space but still social, look at sharehouses in kawasaki or east tokyo like kameido. you'll get more room for the same price and still be 20 mins from shinjuku. airbnb is gonna run you way more for anything decent and you wont meet anyone unless you really grind the meetup apps
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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.