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Keio, Tokyo Daigaku or Waseda?
studied at waseda for a semester, not keio or todai so can't compare all three. waseda's campus is right in shinjuku which is super convenient for after-class stuff, the area around takadanobaba station has tons of cheap ramen and izakaya spots. the international student office was pretty helpful but tbh the classes felt a bit crowded compared to what i heard about keio's smaller seminars. if you want a more traditional japanese uni vibe with a big name, probably waseda is fine, but for a quieter academic focus i'd lean keio
depends what you're studying tbh. if it's anything stem or science related, todai is the obvious choice, the research facilities there are insane compared to the other two. keio and waseda are both great for humanities but keio's mita campus has this old school vibe that feels more exclusive, while waseda's a bit more chaotic and alive. also worth noting that keio tends to have more students from wealthy families which can make the social scene feel a little different, not in a bad way just something to be aware of
I spent a year at Waseda and had friends at both Keio and Todai, so I got a pretty good look at all three. One thing nobody really mentioned is the extracurricular culture. Waseda's circle activities are huge and chaotic in a fun way, there are hundreds of clubs and you can join things like the mask-making club or a hiking group that meets at Shinjuku station at 7am on Saturdays. Keio's clubs felt more formal and a bit like networking events, which might be great if you're career-focused but less so if you just want to mess around. Todai's clubs are serious, like the sailing team trains five times a week, so it depends on your energy level.
For daily life, the food around Waseda is unbeatable. There's this place called Menya Musashi near Takadanobaba that does the best tsukemen I've ever had for like 900 yen, and the whole area is packed with tiny shops. Keio's Mita neighborhood is fancier and quieter, more cafes than ramen joints, which I liked for studying but not for hanging out. Todai's Hongo area has a few good spots like the famous Hongo Tofuya but it's mostly residential and gets sleepy fast.
If you want to be in the middle of everything and meet random people constantly, Waseda is the move. If you prefer a calmer, more polished experience with smaller classes, go
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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.