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Naitomachi Nightlife?
the real move in naitomachi is finding the places that dont even look like bars from the street. there's a narrow alley behind the 7-Eleven where you'll see a single red lantern and a door that's basically just a curtain, no sign or anything. that spot is called Ebisuya, they do this amazing grilled onigiri with miso glaze and the sake list is handwritten on a chalkboard, like 10 different kinds all under 600 yen. for karaoke i'd skip the second floor spots and go to the basement of the building next to the post office, it's called Karaoke Box Nanashiki and they have these weird semi-private booths with old CRT TVs and the song selection goes back to the 80s. just be ready for the owner to chat you up if you're the only customers, he's super friendly but his english is limited
honestly the best thing about naitomachi is how quiet it gets even just a block off the main road. there's this little place called Yotteba on the corner near the post office, it's literally just a counter with maybe 6 seats and the owner makes these killer grilled skewers, no music just the TV playing baseball. if you want karaoke theres a spot called Utahime on the second floor of that pink building near the station, it's like 800 yen for 30 mins and the system is ancient but they have english songs too. the whole area feels more like a residential street with a few bars sprinkled in rather than a real nightlife zone, which is exactly why i prefer it over shinjuku. just don't expect to find anything open past 1am, most places close by midnight
Naitomachi is one of those rare spots in Tokyo that feels like a neighborhood first and a nightlife district second. For a proper local izakaya experience, try Kado on the main strip near the station - it's been around for decades and the owner grills everything right in front of you. The karaoke scene here is more about tiny places above restaurants rather than dedicated buildings, so look for signs on the second floor with just "Karaoke" and a price like 500 yen per hour. Most of those hidden spots won't have English menus, but that's part of the charm.
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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.