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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Lonely people in Tokyo, what do you do after work?
I'd check out some of the gaijin-friendly meetups in Shinjuku or Shibuya. The Tokyo HUB pubs around Roppongi and Shibuya are full of English speakers and regulars who don't mind broken Japanese. Also, a lot of bars in Golden Gai have expat owners who host language exchange nights, just look for the signs with both English and Japanese on the door.
fwiw I'd check out those social sports clubs like Tokyo Gaijins FC or some running groups on Meetup. Even if your Nihongo is rough, you can just kick a ball around and grunt at each other, people don't care as long as you show up
honestly just go to a snooker bar in akihabara people are super chill there and you can bond over bad shots without much talking
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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.