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Weightlifting platform in Tokyo's gym ?
Another angle: check out the gym inside the Komazawa Olympic Park, it's a bit south of Shibuya but the weightlifting room is a hidden gem. They have two platforms, proper Eleiko bars, and it's run by the Tokyo city government, so it's like ¥400 a visit. The front desk staff are used to foreigners, they have an English info sheet, and the crowd is mostly serious lifters, not cardio folks. It closes at 8pm though, and the platform queue on weekends can hit 30 minutes, so I'd go weekday mornings around 9am when it's empty.
If you're staying in the east side, the Sumida ward sports center near Kinshicho has a small platform, but it's more of a semi-platform, just a rubber mat over a wooden floor. It's fine for deadlifts and power cleans, but I wouldn't drop snatches from overhead there. That one's ¥300 and you can pay with a transport card, which is convenient. The real hack is to get a ward gym membership card, it costs like ¥1,000 for 6 months and gives you access to all the sports centers in that ward, so you can hop between the ones with platforms.
if you're set on platforms, another route is the university gyms. some like Waseda or Keio let outsiders in for a fee, and they have proper lifting areas with platforms, usually around ¥500 to ¥1,000 a visit. the catch is you need to check their schedule and sometimes bring your own chalk, but the vibe is way more serious than a commercial gym. also, if you don't mind a bit of a commute, the Meiji Jingu Gaien gym near Aoyama has a solid weightlifting corner, it's used by local lifters and it's cheap like ¥300 a session, but you gotta get there early because it fills up fast. tbh for 6 months i'd prob just mix a cheap municipal gym with a few sessions at Gold's when you want the heavy stuff, saves you money and you still get platform days in.
honestly, skip Anytime Fitness for Olympic lifts, they don't have platforms, just rubber mats at best. if you want a real platform, check out Gold's Gym in Shibuya or the one in Shinjuku, they've got a couple of proper Eleiko platforms but it's pricier, like ¥2,500 per day or around ¥12k a month. another option is Tipness, they have a few branches with platforms but it's hit or miss, the one in Ikebukuro has them, the one in Ginza doesn't. honestly for 6 months, maybe look at municipal gyms like the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Sendagaya, it's super cheap at like ¥400 per visit and they have a dedicated weightlifting area with platforms, but the hours are limited and it gets packed after 6pm. if you're flexible on the platform, Anytime Fitness is fine for general lifting but you'll be doing power cleans on the floor, which gets old fast.
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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.