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Is there a reason for specific melodies at train stations?
some of the jingles are tied to the station's history or local landmarks. like ueno's melody is based on a folk song called "Sakura Sakura" because the station is the gateway to cherry blossom spots in the park. ochanomizu's uses a little phrase from "Hotaru no Hikari" which is basically the japanese version of auld lang syne, referencing the education district nearby. not all of them are that deep though, some are just generic jr compositions that got assigned randomly. if you hang around long enough you'll start recognizing which ones are proper tunes and which ones are just beeps
A few of them are actually borrowed from older private railway lines that got absorbed into JR. Takadanobaba's melody, for example, comes from the old Seibu Railway jingle that played at the terminal near Waseda University. It's a nice little piece of transit history that most people just hear as background noise.
If you're into this stuff, the Yamanote Line stations tend to have the most intentional choices since they're the busiest. Shinjuku's long, sweeping melody was composed specifically for the station in the 1980s to feel grand and energetic. It works pretty well given how chaotic that place is at 8pm on a Friday.
yeah some of them are actually famous songs or have specific meanings. ebisu's is the theme from the third movement of beethoven's symphony no. 7, which is also used in sapporo beer ads because the station is named after the beer brand. shibuya's is "departure" from the movie always sanchome no yuhi, which is pretty fitting for the busy crossing vibe. shinagawa's is a folk song about the station itself from the meiji era. also some like tokyo station use the same melody as the yamanote line departure chime but pitched differently. if you listen closely you'll start noticing the ones that are just generic jr tunes vs the ones that have actual history
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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