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Space to train in Tokyo? (football/soccer⚽)
I'll be staying in Koto city before… Hi all, I'll be spending about 6 weeks in Japan and I'm looking for spots where I can train individually on a football/soccer pitch with a decent amount of space.
I'll be staying in Koto city before leaving tokyo for a bit then coming back to Bunkyo City, so anywhere around those places would be amazing. However, I'm not picky, so any space in Tokyo with either goals or a wall would be great. Even just a patch of grass is fine. I don't mind paying for the space either.
Also, would anybody know where I can find high-level pickup? I'm recovering from an injury, but trying to get back at the semi-professional level. I don't mind casual runs too, I'm here to visit after all.
Thank you! Any leads would be appreciated!!
For individual training in Koto, head to Yumenoshima Park. It's a bit of a trek but the sports fields there are rarely packed on weekday mornings, and there is a decent-sized open grass area near the athletics track where you can set cones and work on footwork without dodging joggers. Closer to Bunkyo, Meiji Jingu Gaien has the old soccer pitch area behind the rugby ground, but it's often booked, so your better bet is the public field at Komaba Park's sports plaza in Meguro, which you can reserve for a few hundred yen per hour.
On the pickup side, check out the Sunday night runs at Odaiba's Aomi Sports Park. They tend to attract a mix of college players and ex-academy guys, and the level jumps up when the weather is good. Also, the Tokyo Football Meetup group on Meetup posts casual games in Edogawa and Shinjuku, but for higher intensity, message the Tokyo FC pickup session at Yumenoshima, they usually have a slot for trial players even if you're just visiting. Since you're coming back from injury, ease in with the casual ones first, the semi-pro crowd there doesn't hold back on challenges.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Sendagaya has a futsal court on the roof that's open for individual rental, you can book it online for about 2,000 yen an hour. It's fully caged with a decent rebound wall on one side, and the surface is that soft artificial turf that's easier on a healing knee than the hard park ground. I've used it for solo shooting drills and never had to share, weekday mornings especially.
For pickup with a real competitive edge, the Saturday afternoon run at Yokohama's Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Park annex is worth the trip out of the city. It's a mix of ex-college stars and guys who flirted with J3 contracts, and they play proper 11v11 on a full pitch with referees. The organizer runs a tight ship, no walking, but they're welcoming to visitors if you message the Tokyo Football Meetup group first and get introduced. Given your injury, the turf at the Sendagaya court is the safer bet for the first week or two, that Yokohama game is all-out from the first whistle.
honestly for Koto, skip the big parks and check out the small cage at Shirahige Higashi Park. it's a futsal-sized court with a solid wall for rebounding, and it's free. weekday afternoons it's usually empty since the locals are at work. for Bunkyo, Hakusan Shrine is a weird one but there's a flat dirt area behind the main hall where i've seen guys juggling, no goals but the fence works fine for passing drills.
for higher-level pickup, the Tuesday night game at Komazawa Olympic Park field 2 is where the old J-League youth guys go when they're between contracts. it's invite-only on paper but if you show up with boots and tell the organizer you're visiting from abroad, they'll usually let you run for the first 20 minutes to see if you fit. the level is sharp, lots of one-touch stuff, so maybe don't go full sprint until you've tested that injury.
if you want walls specifically, the underpass near Toyosu Market has a long concrete stretch that bounces clean, no windows to break, and it's lit until 10pm. just bring your own ball and watch for the delivery trucks early morning.
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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.