Create meetup in Tokyochevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
want to meet at fmd_good Vintage Avenue
want to meet at fmd_good Local House
explore Tokyo Guides
bar_chart Trends in Tokyo
Moving to Ikebukuro?
Ikebukuro's definitely more concrete than some areas, but you don't have to go far. Jump on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and you're in Shakujii Park in about 15 minutes, it's a proper big park with ponds and walking paths. For a neighbourhood feel, look at Hikawadai or Kotake-Mukaihara, they're a couple stops west and have a quieter residential vibe with small shrines and gardens tucked between the houses.
If you're willing to go a bit further east on the Tobu Tojo Line, Oizumi-gakuen is about 20 minutes from Ikebukuro and has a totally different feel. The station sits right next to a big green belt with a park and sports fields, and the neighborhood is mostly low-rise houses with actual trees lining the streets. There's a small shopping street with a decent supermarket and a few cafes, so you're not stranded out in the sticks.
honestly if you want greenery without leaving the yamanote line loop, mejiro is one stop away and has way more tree-lined streets and small parks than ikebukuro. there's a little ravine park called otomeyama that's super quiet and feels like a hidden forest in the middle of the city
if you're okay with a short train ride, head out to toshimaen station on the oedo line. it's got a massive park with a zoo and a botanical garden, plus the area around it is mostly low-rise residential with actual front gardens
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.
load 2 more replies