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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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No Sakura yet?
The Somei Yoshino trees at Ueno Park are still mostly bare as of yesterday, maybe a few buds starting to swell on the south-facing branches. The early kawazu-zakura variety has been out for a couple weeks though, so if you want blossoms now, check Shinjuku Gyoen or the trees along the Meguro River. The main season usually kicks off around the last week of March and peaks in early April, so you're not behind, the cold snap last week just slowed things down.
If ur in the western burbs, Kunitachi and Kokubunji tend to run a few days behind the Yamanote spots because of the elevation and all the concrete downtown. The big zelkova row along Daigaku-dori in Kunitachi is a totally different vibe, worth a walk even before the somei yoshino open. For actual sakura, Koganei Park up the Chuo line usually hits right around when the official Tokyo date drops, and it's way less of a zoo than Ueno.
tbh i'm in Setagaya and same, nada yet. my go-to for early bloom is the yokoami area near Ryogoku, those trees along the Sumida tend to pop a bit before the big parks. also check the JMA cherry map, they update it pretty much daily and it's way more accurate than staring at your neighborhood tree like i do
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.
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