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How's living in eastern Nerima (Ekoda & Kotake-Mukaihara St.) ?
honestly it's got that weird mix of old-school shita-machi energy and sleepy suburbia. ekoda station area is super compact, the shotengai near the south exit has a decent izakaya or two but it's not a nightlife spot at all. kotake-mukaihara is more residential, quiet at night, but the seibu line gets you to ikebukuro in like 10 minutes for anything real.
rent's way cheaper than nakano or even nerima proper, and you get way more space for the money. downside is the bus situation, if you miss the last train you're walking 20 minutes or paying a taxi, there's basically nothing open after midnight except a few family marts. also the seibu ikebukuro line can get packed in the morning, like sardine-level packed, but everyone gets off at nerima or ikebukuro so it thins out.
if you're a food person, there's a tiny soba place near ekoda's west exit, no sign in English, run by an old couple, cash only. they close by 2pm. worth it for the curry nanban. otherwise you're going to ikebukuro or nakano for anything interesting. it's fine if you like quiet, but if you crave walkable nightlife, this is not it.
lived in ekoda for 3 years and the thing i'd add is the cycling. if u have a bike, the arakawa river path is like 15 min north and it's a straight shot to the city center or up to saitama. way better than dealing with the seibu crush on weekends.
also, don't sleep on the curry place next to the post office on the main drag, it's called something like "curry no misesan" and the lunch set is 800 yen with a free drink. the owner is a retired guy who just cooks what he feels like that day, sometimes it's keema, sometimes it's a weird fusion thing, never bad.
one warning though, the bike parking at ekoda station fills up by 8am, so if u commute, u might end up paying 200 yen a day at the lot near the south exit. learned that the hard way.
I've lived near Kotake-Mukaihara for two years and the thing that gets me is how dead the shopping street gets after 7pm, even on Fridays. The little ramen shop on the north side of the station, the one with the red noren, is usually the only thing with lights on, and they close at 9 sharp.
What nobody warned me about is the wind. Eastern Nerima sits on a bit of a plateau near the Shakujii river, and winter evenings get this cold draft off the water that cuts right through you. You'll want a proper coat, not just a fashion one.
For late-night snacks, the FamilyMart near the Ekoda south exit is the only one that keeps its fried chicken warmer stocked past midnight, the other konbini are picked clean by 11. And if you're ever stuck without cash, there's a Seven Bank ATM inside the Kotake-Mukaihara station that doesn't charge fees after 10pm, which has saved me more than once.
The real hidden gem is the public bathhouse about 8 minutes walk from Ekoda, it's called Himawari-yu, old school with a proper hot spring feel, costs 500 yen and is way more relaxing than any of the chain sento in the area. It's open till 11pm, so it's a good post-work wind down spot.
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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.