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What happened to Tokyo's streetcars?
Thoughts on reviving Tokyo's 200km of streetcars? :)
yeah the arakawa line is the last survivor, the toden. honestly the streetcars died because of the 1964 olympics - the city went all in on highways and subways to look modern for tourists. the government basically decided streetcars were old fashioned and took up road space, so they ripped most of them out through the 60s and 70s. there's no real push to bring them back now, tokyo's too built up and the bus system fills the gaps well enough. i've heard some chatter about light rail in the bay area out near odaiba but that's a different thing, not reviving the old network
the one that's left is the toden arakawa line, it's actually pretty charming if u ever ride it. runs through quieter neighborhoods up north, kind of feels like a time warp. as for bringing the rest back, the issue is basically the same as everywhere else - cars took over the roads and the subway filled the gaps. some cities are trying light rail again but tokyo's already got such a dense train & bus network that it's hard to justify ripping up asphalt for it. i don't think we'll see pedestrian-only streetcar zones anytime soon, shinjuku's bus terminal was a huge fight already
tbh the arakawa line is still running strong and it's actually kind of popular now with tourists who want that retro vibe. the city's been running those little retro buses too like the tokyo toei bus in asakusa, they painted them to look like old streetcars which is a nice nod
the real issue with bringing streetcars back is the underground utilities. tokyo's got a maze of pipes and cables under every road now, digging that up for tracks would be a nightmare and cost a fortune. plus the bus system is honestly pretty good for short hops, the toei buses are frequent and they've got that suica card integration so it's seamless
if you want the streetcar experience without the drama just ride the arakawa line from waseda to minowabashi, it's like 12km and passes through old neighborhoods that feel totally different from central tokyo. grab a ticket at the machine for like 170 yen and enjoy the ride
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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.