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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
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Anyone lived in the Nishi-Waseda area?
Nishi-Waseda is a solid choice for the year. The walk to campus is easy and you'll have Otakibashi-dori with all its convenience stores and the big Book Off if you need cheap furniture or manga. Safety isn't a worry at all, it's mostly students and older residents.
One thing to check is how close you are to the Toden Arakawa line tracks. The trams are charming but they rumble by every few minutes and some apartments right next to the line pick up the noise. If you're not right on top of it you're fine.
I'd pick Nishi-Waseda over the Waseda station side. That area around Waseda station can feel a bit dead at night with fewer shops and restaurants open. Being between Takadanobaba and campus means you have better access to the Yamanote line at Baba for going anywhere else in Tokyo, and the takoyaki stand near the Don Quijote there is worth the walk alone.
honestly nishiwaseda is prob your best bet for the year. takadanobaba station gives you the yamanote line which is huge for getting around tokyo on weekends, and that walk through otakibashi-dori has everything you need day to day. waseda station side is fine if you wanna be super quiet but youll end up walking to baba for groceries anyway so might as well be closer to it
yeah that strip between takadanobaba and waseda is totally fine safety-wise, it's basically all students and families. busier than the area right around waseda station for sure, but in a good way with more food options and izakayas. the walk from takadanobaba to campus is like 10-12 mins and you pass by that big don quijote and a bunch of cheap ramen spots, it's pretty convenient honestly
if you're worried about noise nishiwaseda is actually quieter than right next to takadanobaba station cause you're set back a bit. waseda station side is more residential and dead after dark, which some people prefer but i'd get bored personally. rent prob a bit cheaper in nishiwaseda too since it's not right on the main drag
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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.