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Advice on Making Friends as a Foreigner in Japan?
The tricky part is, even though I'm social, I often feel out of place or even a bit shy when it comes to going out drinking alone or attending social events solo. I want to give it a real shot and try to make new friends, but I'm not quite sure where to start.
Does anyone have any advice on how to navigate this? Or maybe tips on places where I could meet people in a more relaxed, friendly setting? I'd really appreciate any guidance or encouragement! Thank you!
seconding hobby stuff but adding a specific angle: team sports with a built in social contract, like futsal or bouldering leagues. the tokyo futsal scene is huge and there are mixed casual teams that recruit on jimoty and meetup, once ur on a team u see the same ppl every week which is how friendships actually form here. also the ward gyms (区民体育館) run cheap classes like badminton and table tennis that are mostly locals in their 30s-40s, way less transient than bar crowds. the drinking thing works for one night, a weekly team keeps u showing up
honestly the drinking angle gets oversold. meetup groups in Tokyo skew heavily toward bars and it burns you out fast if you're not a drinker. try hobby stuff instead, climbing gyms like B-Pump in Ogikubo or Noborock in Edogawabashi are super social and nobody cares if your Japanese is bad. also look at your ward's 国際交流協会 (international association), most of them run cheap Japanese classes and volunteer events where you actually talk to people instead of sitting in a lecture. that's how a lot of long timers I know built their whole social circle here.
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.
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