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To people who found an apartment in Tokyo. What websites/agencies did you use? Are you satisfied with your apartment?
honestly with n2 you're probably overthinking it. suumo and homes are the big ones but i found a lot of decent places just walking into small local agencies in the neighborhoods i liked. the ones near stations often have boards with listings in the window and they'll show you stuff that's not even online yet. i used a tiny place near jiyugaoka station called fudosan nakamura or something, old guy running it alone, found me a 1dk in yutenji that was way under market rate because the landlord didn't want to deal with big agencies.
if you want a more streamlined online experience try athome dot jp. it's less popular than suumo but the search filters are better for specific stuff like floor plan or building age. i'd skip any agency that pushes you toward a specific guarantor company or demands a key money deposit without explaining it. that's usually a sign they're padding their cut. the process will still be annoying regardless but you'll save money avoiding the gaijin-focused sites
With N2 level Japanese you'll be fine dealing directly with agents. I'd recommend checking out Suumo and Homes first, those two have the most listings and are totally legit. The trick is filtering by "fudosan ga maniau" (agent fee negotiable) to save yourself that extra month's rent.
For agencies, I had a good experience with MiniMini and Apamanshop, both have English support but you can do everything in Japanese if you prefer. They showed me places that weren't listed online yet, which is common here. Just avoid the super cheap places on Oakhouse or Sakura House unless you're okay with older buildings.
I'd also recommend looking at YOLO (formerly YOLO Home) if you haven't already. They're a bit more curated than Suumo and the listings tend to be updated more frequently, so you're less likely to fall in love with a place that's already been rented.
For agencies, I went through Leoplace21 when I moved into my current place in Shimokitazawa and they were straightforward with fees and paperwork. They have a lot of properties in the west side of Tokyo if that's your area. Just be ready for the standard Japanese rental process with the guarantor company and all that, even with good Japanese it's still a bit of a hassle.
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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.