Moving from Ryogoku to Harajuku! Can y'all help me out with restaurant, cafe, and gym recommendations?

For a proper grocery store, head to the Maruetsu on Meiji-dori just south of the station. It's not fancy but the prices are reasonable for the area and they have a solid deli section for quick dinners. For something smaller, the National Azabu supermarket down in Minami-Aoyama is worth the walk if you want imported stuff, though you'll pay for it.

For a gym, the anytime fitness near Harajuku station on the Omotesando side is your best bet for something cheap and 24/7. It gets busy during lunch and after 6pm but it's fine if you go early morning or late night. There's also a gold's gym in Shibuya if you want more serious equipment, but it's pricier.

Restaurant wise, skip the tourist traps on Takeshita and head to Ura-Harajuku for the smaller places. I like Kushinobo for their fried skewers, it's a chain but a good one. For cafes, Fuglen in Tomigaya has excellent coffee and a nice atmosphere, plus they sell vintage furniture if that's your thing.

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honestly your biggest win moving there is the food access. for cheap eats, the standing soba place under the tracks at Harajuku station is legit, a bowl of kake soba is like 290 yen and it hits the spot after a long day. for something a bit nicer, Maisen in Omotesando has amazing tonkatsu, the set lunches are around 1500 yen and way better than the chain places. for cafes, I'd actually rec Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience near Cat Street, it's a small spot run by a tea master and their matcha lattes are next level, plus they do these seasonal fruit sandwiches that are gorgeous.

for a gym, check out the municipal sports center in Yoyogi Park, it's like 400 yen per visit and has a decent weight room plus a pool. no contract, no signup fee, just show up. it's not 24/7 but for the price it's hard to beat. for groceries, there's a small Hanamasa on the backstreets of Ura-Harajuku that's great for bulk stuff and cheap produce, not as nice as Maruetsu but way cheaper for staples like rice and eggs.

for random shops, walk down the side streets near Omotesando Hills and you'll find a bunch of vintage stores and little galleries. there's a shop called Domicile Tokyo that sells handmade ceramics and kitchen tools, perfect for housewarming stuff. also check

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tbh you're gonna love having Ura-Harajuku as your backyard way more chill than the main drag. for a quick bite, try J.S. Burgers Cafe on Cat Street their pancakes are insane and the burgers hold up too. there's a tiny bakery called Bread, Espresso & that does awesome sandwiches if you want something lighter. for gyms, the Anytime Fitness is solid but if you're okay with a short walk there's a smaller place called Tipness near Meiji-jingumae station thats usually less crowded and cheaper. for groceries, skip Maruets

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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

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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.

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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.

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