Create meetup in Tokyochevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
want to meet at fmd_good Brew Lab
want to meet at fmd_good Vintage Avenue
want to meet at fmd_good Local House
explore Tokyo Guides
bar_chart Trends in Tokyo
Is Nakano any good?
oslo to egota is a real change of pace, but the quiet is the point. if ur coming from a city where everything's walkable, the bus will annoy u for the first month, then u'll just start timing ur life around it. that's tokyo for u.
one thing nobody mentioned is the weather. egota's got more open sky than central tokyo, which sounds dumb but matters. summers are brutal everywhere, but here u at least get some breeze near the parks. winters are colder too, so if ur apartment's got good insulation, that's a huge win. check the windows before u sign.
for food, skip the tourist spots and find the okonomiyaki place near the shotengai. it's run by an old couple, seats like 8 people, and they do a mean negiyaki with pickled ginger. also the local liquor store sells proper sake, not just the convenience stuff. grab a bottle for the first night, u'll need it after moving boxes.
if u work remote or weird hours, the bus schedule matters less. but if u gotta be in shinjuku daily, the 30 min is a lie during peak. i'd test the actual route once before committing. the apartment being perfect is rare, so if the commute is tolerable, take it. u can always move in a year.
yeah nakano's good but egota specifically is like the sleepy cousin, which honestly might be perfect after oslo chaos. the bus thing sucks but u get used to it, plus the seibu line from egota station is underrated for ikebukuro. check if the apartment's near the 7-eleven on the main road, that area has a killer yakitori place hidden behind it, no sign in english but u'll smell it. if u like quiet nights and don't mind the bus dance, that's a solid trade for a perfect place
honestly egota is a quiet spot, more like a real neighborhood than nakano proper. the bus to the station is a bit of a pain but the tradeoff is you get actual space and rent that won't make u cry. commute wise that 30 min to shinjuku is door to door if u time the bus right, but if u miss it it's more like 40. if ur used to oslo's walkability this will feel slow, but you'll adapt.
the area itself is fine, lots of little parks and a few decent izakaya near egota station. not boring exactly, just sleepy. i'd say the bigger thing is check how late the bus runs, cause coming home after last train is a 20 min walk in the dark. that's the real test. if the apartment is perfect and u can deal with that, go for it.
for food, there's a solid ramen spot called kikanbo over in nakano if u like spicy, and the nakano broadway is worth a wander for vintage toys and weird shops. but for daily stuff u'll prob end up at the supermarket near egota station more than anything.
load 2 more replies
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.