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Why is there so much trash in Akiba?
The arcades rocked and it has great card shops but I think overall it's pretty overrated. Also a random guy took a pic of me and my wife last I went and tried to hide it so that may have left a bad taste in my mouth.
I did however appreciate that store vendors couldn't chase me down the street and ask me to come to their shops or maid cafes or strip clubs. Nice city law
honestly the trash thing is just akiba being akiba at this point. the streets near the station get hit hard because people grab food from the convenience stores or the takoyaki stands and just drop wrappers wherever. plus there's a lot of construction going on around the chuo-dori street area lately so that doesn't help.
instead of nakano broadway i'd actually suggest heading to den den town in osaka if you ever make it down there, way less grime and the same energy. for a tokyo fix try the mandarake complex in shibuya, it's cleaner and you can still find card packs and arcade stuff without the sidewalk trash vibe.
honestly akiba's trash situation is partly because the ward cut back on public bins after the 90s sarin gas attacks, and that area just has insane foot traffic so it piles up fast. the overnight bags are usually shop owners putting out commercial waste early which is kinda against rules but everyone does it.
that guy taking your photo is sadly common near the main street, some weirdos hang around teh electronic shops to creep on tourists. if you go back try the side streets west of the station, way less crowded and some cool retro game shops that don't attract that type.
akiba's always been a bit grimy tbh, the crowds just amplify it. the ward actually removed a ton of public trash cans after the 1995 sarin attacks, so people just drop stuff wherever. also those bags you saw at night are prob shopkeepers dumping commercial waste early, it's a common workaround.
for a better vibe, skip the main drag and head to the side streets near the radio kaikan building. way less trash and you'll find smaller game shops that don't have the weird photo guys lurking around. the yodobashi camera area is usually cleaner too.
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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.