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What are the cheapest grocery stores here ?
Thanks a lot !
Since you're in Bunkyo, have you checked the co-op delivery? The Tokyo coop (TOKYO COOP) does weekly veggie boxes for around 1,500 yen and the quality is better than what I've seen at Santoku. You order online and they drop it at your door, no carrying bags up the hill from Hongo. The catch is you don't pick the exact veggies, but you can set preferences and it forces you to cook with what comes, which cuts down on waste.
Another thing nobody's mentioned yet: the local shotengai in Sugamo, about 20 minutes north on the Yamanote, has a few greengrocers that sell big bags of seasonal produce for 100-200 yen. Not always the prettiest stuff, but fine for stir fries or soups. I go there on Sundays and grab what's left before they close around 1pm, it's basically clearance.
For eggs and dairy, the 7-Eleens and FamilyMart near you actually run better deals than most supermarkets if you use their apps. They do like 20% off on eggs or milk about twice a month, and you can stock up then. It's not the most obvious move, but it adds up if you go through a carton a week.
the real hack is timing, go to the bigger supermarkets like tokyu store or summit around 8pm, they do the 30-50% off stickers on basically everything that expires soon, not just meat. i live near kasuga and hit the summit in koishikawa, grab stuff for the next two days and plan meals around whatever's discounted that night.
also skip the bags entirely, bring ur own and weigh produce at the self checkout, that saves a few yen here and there. and for rice, don't buy the small bags at santoku, go to a rice shop or the co-op delivery, they sell 5kg for way less per kg. the co-op also does weekly veggie boxes, cheaper than any store if u can handle whatever they throw in.
for spices and condiments, the chinese grocers in okachimachi or ueno are stupid cheap, like 50-70% less than santoku for the same kikkoman stuff. just go once a month and stock up, it's a bit of a trek but worth it if u cook a lot.
if u can make it to the 業務スーパー in hongo that's the big one for bulk, but honestly the hack nobody mentions is checking the discount baskets near the registers, not the meat section. they pile up random stuff like tofu or natto that's about to expire for like 30-50 yen, i grab those for breakfast and it's basically free. also the ok store in kasuga does a 5% off day on tuesdays with their app, only if u scan the barcode, so it's worth having that. and for produce, skip
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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.