Night clubs for people in their 30s and 40s?

For a slightly more grown-up vibe without feeling like a retirement party, check out Harlem in Roppongi. It's a bit pricier than the average club, cover is usually around 3,000 to 4,000 yen depending on the night, and drinks are standard Roppongi prices, so expect 1,000 yen or more for a basic mixer. The crowd tends to be a bit older and the music is mostly house and R&B, so you won't get the same EDM blast as some of the bigger places.

If you want something even more relaxed, Sound Museum Vision is a solid choice, though it's more of a live house that turns into a club later. The cover there can be 2,500 to 3,500 yen and the crowd is diverse, but you'll see plenty of people in their 30s and 40s hanging around the second floor lounge area. I'd avoid any of the massive Shibuya clubs like WARP or Atom on a weekend, they tend to skew younger and the lines are a mess.

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if you're in shinjuku, check out the ruby room in golden gai. it's not a club club but a tiny two-story bar with a basement dance floor, crowd is almost all 30s-40s, cover is 1,000 yen with a drink ticket. they play 80s and 90s hits, lots of people just having a laugh without trying to be cool. drinks are cheap for the area, like 800 yen for a highball. get there before 10pm though, the staircase gets impossible after that.

for actual dancing, vent in shibuya is worth a look. it's a basement spot near the crossing, cover is 2,500 yen, and the music is mostly house and techno. the crowd is mixed but definitely skews older than the shibuya average, and the sound system is way better than you'd expect for a place that small. drinks are around 1,000 yen, nothing special but not a ripoff either

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Honestly for that age range I'd skip Roppongi entirely and head to Daikanyama instead. Club Bonobo is tiny but the crowd is usually late 30s to 50s, cover is around 2,500 yen with one drink included, and they play a lot of funk and disco. It gets packed by midnight so get there by 11.

Another option is Two Rooms in Aoyama, it's more of a lounge than a club but they have a DJ and a dance floor on weekends. No cover charge but drinks are pricey, like 1,800 yen for a cocktail, and the view from the terrace is worth it. Dress code is smart casual though, they'll turn away guys in sneakers.

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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

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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.

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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.

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