Any D&D / RPG fans in City?

honestly if you're a GM moving to tokyo you're gonna be in demand. the ratio of players to GMs is pretty skewed here, especially for english language games. I've seen people post "looking for a GM" and get like 15 replies within an hour on the line groups

for meeting spots, I'd recommend checking out the international lounge in shinjuku, they have event space you can book for free if you're a member. also the hub pubs in roppongi sometimes host game nights, though those are more board game focused. the one near tokyo tower has a private room upstairs that some groups use

one thing nobody mentioned yet - bring your dice. like a lot of dice. the selection here for metal or fancy dice sets is pretty limited unless you want to pay import prices. I've seen basic plastic sets go for 2000 yen at yellow submarine when you can get them for like 5 bucks on amazon back home

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honestly you're in luck, there's a pretty active polish-japanese d&d crossover scene in tokyo. check out the facebook group "polish rpg community tokyo" - they organize bilingual sessions at game bars in shibuya like the dungeon near center-gai. the gm there runs a mean 5e campaign with polish snacks sometimes

also if you want to try something different, the japanese trpg "sword world 2.0" has a following in nakano. there's a shop called roll & role station that does english-friendly sessions on saturday afternoons. costs about 2000 yen for a 4-hour slot with drinks included

the language barrier isn't as bad as you'd think for rpgs, most japanese players know enough english for combat terms and you can just say "i cast fireball" with hand gestures. worked for me for 2 years now

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If you're based in Tokyo and willing to venture a bit, check out the board game bar Jelly Jelly in Shimokitazawa. They host RPG nights on Thursdays and it's a pretty relaxed crowd, mostly expats and locals who speak English. The cover is 500 yen and you buy a drink, which is cheaper than most game cafes.

I'd also recommend the Tokyo Gamer's Guild on Discord if you haven't found it yet. They organize one-shots pretty regularly and people are open to new GMs. The vibe is more casual than the Meetup groups, less structured but easier to jump into.

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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

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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.

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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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