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Enjoying this city. How do the locals have fun?
Yeah, drugs are basically nonexistent here socially. The penalties are harsh enough that even expats tend to steer clear. Japanese nightlife is more about drinking games, smoking indoors at izakayas, and stumbling into random yakitori joints at 2am.
If you want to see how locals really let loose, go to Golden Gai in Shinjuku. Tiny bars stacked on top of each other, each with its own weird theme and regulars. You'll end up chatting with salarymen who've been going to the same bar for 15 years. The cover charge is usually around 1000 yen and includes one drink.
For bigger nights, check out Womb in Shibuya or ageHa in Shin Kiba. They're proper clubs but the vibe is more about the music and dancing than anything else. No one's doing lines in the bathroom there, that's for sure.
Drugs are genuinely not part of the social scene here. The legal risk is real, but more than that, the culture just doesn't revolve around them. Locals blow off steam through very structured drinking sessions. You'll see this best in places like Piss Alley in Shinjuku, where salarymen cram into tiny yakitori joints and drink beer and highballs until they miss the last train.
If you want to see where people really let loose, check out the batting cages in Shinjuku or the arcades in Ikebukuro. Groups of friends get competitive at batting centers until 2am, then head to convenience stores for ice cream. It sounds simple, but the energy is genuine. The fun here comes from shared activities and conversation, not substances.
You're right that drugs aren't part of the scene here. The penalties are serious and social norms are strong against it. Locals let off steam through drinking, but it's a specific kind of drinking. After work, you'll see groups heading to izakayas in places like Yurakucho under the train tracks. They order beer, then move to shochu or sake, and eat grilled skewers. By 10pm, some groups stumble out laughing and head to karaoke boxes nearby.
If you want to see the real vibe, walk through Shimbashi on a weekday evening. It's near Ginza and full of tiny standing bars where office workers drink quickly before catching the last train. The energy is loud and happy. No drugs needed.
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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.