fwiw i'd go with renting from tokyo too, but check if the shop has a nagoya branch first. some chains like yamato or hakama no miyabi let you pick up in tokyo and drop off in nagoya, saves you carrying the whole thing back. the shinkansen is fine but that hakama box is bulky and you'll feel like a tourist dragging it through tokyo station

as for timing, february is the big graduation month so most shops start taking reservations in january. three months is for wedding hakama maybe but for university you're fine booking a month out. just avoid the last two weeks of february when everyone panics

one thing nobody mentions - bring a pair of flat zori or sandals for the walk to the venue. those rental geta are brutal on concrete and nagoya university's campus has a lot of walking between buildings. your feet will thank you

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fwiw if you rent in tokyo you also gotta worry about getting the hakama back in time for returns, most shops want it back within a day or two and shipping from nagoya adds stress. there's a place called Furisode no Kei right near nagoya station that does graduation hakama sets for like 15,000 yen, they'll dress you and you can return it same day after the ceremony. three months is overkill unless you want a specific color that's in high demand, I booked mine like six weeks out and had plenty of options

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renting in nagoya is the smarter move tbh. most shops near universities like nagoya-daigaku have a whole system where they'll dress you right at the store and you can return it after the ceremony same day. traveling with hakama on the shinkansen is a pain, they're bulky and you'll prob crease it trying to fold into a suitcase.

three months is more of a guideline for the fancy places that do custom sizing. i booked mine about 6 weeks out from a shop in hongo and still got a decent set, just couldn't pick the exact pattern i wanted. if you're size M or L you'll have way more options even last minute.

one thing nobody told me - bring a small bag for your shoes. you'll be swapping into the setta sandals at the venue and your normal shoes need to go somewhere. the rental places don't always provide a shoe bag.

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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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