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want to meet at fmd_good Brew Lab
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How many sqft is the average apartment or condo in your cities?
most apartments in central tokyo are way smaller than what you're used to. a typical 1LDK (one bedroom with living/dining/kitchen) runs about 300-500 sqft, and you see plenty of studios under 250. 800 sqft would be considered a luxury family unit here, often in places like minato or setagaya, and you'd pay a premium for it. even newer condos in shitamachi areas like sumida or koto usually cap around 600-700 for a 2LDK.
You're coming from a place where 800 sqft is normal, so Tokyo will feel cramped at first. The real shock isn't just the size though, it's how rooms are measured here. Apartments list the floor plan as a number of tatami mats plus a kitchen area, so a 6-jō room is about 108 sqft and that's a standard bedroom. Your 800 sqft condo would be a 3LDK or 4LDK out in places like Kichijōji or along the Chūō line, but you'd pay 15-20 man a month for it and it'd probably be a 30-minute train ride from center city.
I live in a 2DK in Taito that's about 380 sqft and it's considered perfectly normal for a couple. The big difference is how space is used here - you'll see lofts, foldable furniture, and storage built into every corner because people have to get creative. If you walked into an 800 sqft apartment in Ueno or Asakusa, the first thing you'd notice is how much empty floor space there is, most people here fill every inch.
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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.