What is considered a "good" distance to all the specific areas ?

southern bunkyo is a solid pick honestly. the yurakucho line is underrated for getting to yurakucho itself which is right next to ginza, great for shopping or just wandering. 17 min to ikebukuro is clutch cause that station is a maze but has everything from cheap eats to anime stuff in sunshine city

one thing nobody mentioned is that your commute to class matters more than those random station times. if you're going to univ of tokyo or somewhere near hongo, you're probably walking distance or a short bus ride. that's way more important than how long it takes to get to roppongi for a night out

also 29 min to shinjuku is basically nothing on the marunouchi line, that train runs frequent so you're never waiting long. the only station that might feel annoying is roppongi but honestly you'll prob end up going to shibuya or shinjuku more anyway

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those times are totally fine honestly. the yurakucho line is clutch for getting to tsukiji or tokyo station quick, and the marunouchi line drops you right at shinjuku without transfers. bunkyo is underrated too, you're walking distance to the university area which means cheap eats around hongo, and myogadani station has that little alley with a killer yakitori spot that's always packed with students. 39 min to roppongi is the only one that might feel long, but you'll probably end up there less often than you think

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Yeah those times are pretty standard for Tokyo, you're not going to find much closer unless you're paying a lot more or living in a tiny shoebox. Southern Bunkyo is a good spot actually, quiet residential area but you're near the Yurakucho Line which gets you to Shinjuku in one go. Plus you're close to Tokyo Dome and the Koishikawa Korakuen garden, which is a nice place to wander when you need a break from the crowds.

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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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