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Did Tokyo Metropolitan Government solved the Toyoku Kids/Kaiwai-Min Problem?
I suppose they ain't gone completely but the place definitely changed, which can be interpreted as positive. I read something about rising abuse of OTC Cough Medication in the scene so I expected something different when I walked through the area this week - tbh I didn't explore much around but I was wondering if some of you may know if this sub-culture scene changed their place or even got some help and maybe has evolved into something social more acceptable? Also I know that there were some Police Activities regarding the prostitution and drug abuse but I figured it is unlikely that those led to these kids changing the place where they stayed for the last 10 Years? Articles (English and Japanese) are welcome as well as personal information.
yeah the toyoko kids thing is way less visible now but they didn't just disappear. a lot of them moved to the area around okachimachi and ueno park, especially near the yamashita park section where the homeless community is already established. the government's emergency shelter program from 2020 actually did become a semi-permanent thing but it's run by a mix of private ngos and ward offices now, not the metropolitan government directly. the whole scene shifted from a visible street culture to something more scattered and harder to spot, which honestly made it harder for outreach workers to find the kids who need help
honestly the whole toyoko kids thing kinda died down because the govt cracked down hard on the loitering and pushed them out with constant police patrols and that construction fence. a lot of them just moved to different spots like near shibuya or spread out into smaller groups in yoyogi park, but the scene isn't what it was. the otc cough med abuse is still a thing but it's more underground now, less visible on the streets.
i think the media coverage on this has died down too, so it's easy to miss. there's still a lot of kids rotating through net cafes and capsule hotels around asakusa and the edge of ikebukuro when they can afford it. the main shift i noticed is that the younger ones who were visible before are now way more careful about being seen in groups, they connect through line groups instead of meeting up in the open
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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