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I mean, really. Where was spring? And a Hanami memory...
My all time favorite Hanami was when my wife and I deci… So, instead of spring we just get hay fever, then yesterday was summer. I'm not even going to venture a guess at what today was supposed to be.
My all time favorite Hanami was when my wife and I decided to go to Shinjuku Gyoen years back. The blossoms were hardly out, and it was freezing. Suddenly about 1,000 guys come streaming in from 2-chome and park all around us. So much fun! There was a guy in a tutu carving off slices of prosciutto for everyone, and another walking around with bottles of champagne serving to all and sundry.
haha that tutu prosciutto guy sounds legendary, honestly. spring in Tokyo is a scam, it's like 3 days of perfect weather then straight to swamp. if u want a real hanami without the circus, try the Meguro River at night next year, the lanterns make it worth the crowds. or better yet, hit up Yoyogi park on a weekday morning, way less chaos and u can actually hear the birds over the karaoke.
The tutu guy setting up shop in Shinjuku Gyoen is exactly why I never bother with the "proper" hanami spots anymore. My go-to is the little stretch along the Nihonbashi River near Suitengu, it's quiet enough that the office workers barely look up from their bento, and the branches hang low enough to touch. Also, the weather this year is just the usual April chaos, I've learned to keep a folding umbrella and a light scarf in my bag until Golden Week actually starts.
That Shinjuku Gyoen story is the kind of thing that makes Tokyo hanami unforgettable, the randomness of it all. My own favorite was a tiny spot along the Shakujii River in Nerima, no crowds at all, just old folks with their tarps and a guy selling yakitori from a cart. It felt more like a neighborhood picnic than the big park spectacles.
The weather flip-flopping has been brutal this year, I had to dig out my light jacket again this morning. If you want to dodge the hay fever next spring, I'd suggest heading to the plum blossoms at Yushima Tenjin instead, they bloom a month earlier and the scent is way less irritating.
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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