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Jiyugaoka 1LDK vs Futakotamagawa 2LDK?
If you were in the same situation, which would you personally choose?
The extra room is tempting, I get that. But I'd actually lean Jiyugaoka here, and it's not just about charm. You're paying the same price for a smaller place, sure, but you're buying the daily experience, the little streets around the station where you can grab dinner without planning it, the weekend markets, the fact that you can walk home drunk from a friend's place in Okusawa or Kakinokizaka at 2am without thinking about it. Futako's nice but it's a bit more of a destination, you have to gear up to go out. And honestly, the 1LDK forces you to be honest about what you actually need, most couples I know end up with a second room that's just a pile of boxes and a futon nobody sleeps on. You can always rent a coworking space or use the living room as an office, you can't rent the feeling of stepping out your door into Jiyugaoka. Plus that Toyoko line transfer to Shibuya is one stop faster from Jiyugaoka, which matters more than you think if you commute.
tbh i'd go futakotamagawa. the extra room is huge once u start living together, and futako's got that riverside promenade plus the big shopping complex. jiyugaoka's charm is real but u can still hop over on the tokyu toyoko line in like 6 mins for a coffee or a wander. plus futako's station area has been getting way more interesting lately, not just the mall but little places up the hill too. i'd rather have space to spread out at home and walk to jiyugaoka when i want it
Futakotamagawa, and it's not even close for me. I've lived in both pockets over the years, and the 2LDK wins because of what happens after the honeymoon phase of moving in. Jiyugaoka's charm is real, but it's a destination, you gear up for it. Futako's got that daily rhythm, the river path for a 5am run, the depachika at Takashimaya open till 9:30pm for a proper dinner, and the station's got two konbini that never feel like a scene.
The extra room is the sleeper hit though. You think it'll be a guest room or an office, but it becomes the "where do we put the bike, the suitcases, the stuff from your parents' place" room. I've watched three couples in Jiyugaoka 1LDKs end up with a pile of boxes in the living room corner, arguing about whose turn it is to clear the table. Futako's newer towers also tend to have better soundproofing than Jiyugaoka's older stock, and the maintenance fees are usually clearer, worth checking the actual breakdown before you sign.
One practical thing to test: walk from each station to the apartment at 11pm on a Tuesday. Jiyugaoka's back streets get eerily quiet and dark, Futako's main drag stays lit and active. If you're coming home late from work
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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.