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Anyone in Tokyo with Elhers Danlos sydrome ? Who is your rheumatologist ?
The rheumatology route is a dead end for EDS here, most of them only know the autoimmune playbook. I found more traction going through rehabilitation medicine instead, they deal with joint instability and pain management more practically. Dr. Yuki Tanaka at the University of Tokyo Hospital's rehab department has seen hypermobility patients before and takes the time to explain things in English, though you'll need a referral from a general practitioner first.
One thing nobody warned me about: bring your own pain management strategy to the conversation. Japanese doctors are conservative with prescriptions, so if you're used to specific medications or dosages from abroad, get your records translated and have that conversation early. The Tokyo Medical Association has a list of English-speaking doctors on their site, but it's outdated, so cross-check any name you find there against the EDS Japan Facebook group before booking. Also, the Japan Rheumatism Foundation's hotline can point you toward doctors who've handled rare connective tissue cases, they were more helpful than I expected when I called them last year.
I don't have EDS myself, but I've helped a friend navigate this exact search here. The trick is often to skip rheumatology and go for a specialist in connective tissue or genetic medicine, since many Japanese rheumatologists focus on autoimmune conditions like RA and lupus rather than hypermobility disorders. That said, a good starting point is the International Clinic in Minami-Aoyama, they have English-speaking internists who can refer you out, though they're not cheap (around 20,000 yen for a first visit without insurance).
For an actual specialist, try Dr. Masafumi Ogawa at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Setagaya, he works with adult patients too and has decent English. If that doesn't fit, the Tokyo Medical University Hospital in Shinjuku has a few doctors who trained abroad, but you'll need to call and ask specifically for someone comfortable with EDS, since the front desk won't know. Also worth checking the Ehlers-Danlos Society's global directory, there's sometimes a Japan contact who can point you to a local support group, and those folks know the real inside scoop on which doctors actually listen.
honestly skip the rheumatologist route if u can. most here are autoimmune focused, eds is a different beast. i ended up at st. luke's international hospital in tsukiji, they have a whole international dept and the doctors are used to foreign patients with weird conditions. my GP there got me a referral to a geneticist at keio university hospital, that's where the real eds knowledge is. the geneticist was dr. takahashi, he's not fluent but his english is workable and he's patient about explaining things.
another thing, the eds society japan facebook group is way more useful than any directory. people post doctor names there all the time, including who's leaving and who's taking new patients. also bring ur old medical records translated, japanese doctors really appreciate that, it saved me like two months of re-explaining everything. if u need help with translation, the tokyo english lifeline has a referral list for medical interpreters, they're cheap and actually know the terms.
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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