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What is it like during a storm in Tokyo?
yeah it doesn't really shut down like canada does, that's the main thing. i've been through a few typhoons now and the city just adapts rather than stops. the convenience stores are the real canary in the coal mine though, you'll see people lining up at 7-eleven around noon to grab stuff before the afternoon rush hits
one thing nobody mentions is how the smaller streets flood fast in places like shitamachi. a 30 minute downpour and you're wading through ankle deep water near asakusa station. but the main roads clear up quick because of the underground drainage systems they built after that big typhoon in 2019
the wind is what gets me honestly. standing on a platform at shinjuku while the announcements are all in japanese and english telling you trains are delayed, watching everyone's umbrellas turn inside out. most locals just wear those thin raincoats from uniqlo instead, way more practical
honestly storms here are way different than what you're prob used to in Canada. typhoon season hits from august to october and the city basically keeps running unless it's a direct hit. trains will slow down or stop if winds get above 25m/s but they bounce back fast, usually within an hour after it passes
the thing that gets me is how crowded the stations get when everyone tries to rush home before the storm hits. shinjuku station becomes a total zoo around 5pm. and convenience stores sell out of onigiri and water bottles within hours if they announce a big typhoon coming
one thing that's kinda nice is how quiet it gets at night during a typhoon. normally you hear traffic and trains but during a storm it's just wind and rain against your window. just make sure your balcony is clear of anything that could fly off
the trains are the main difference i think. a big snowstorm in canada prob shuts everything down for a day or two but here the yamanote line will just run at reduced speed until the worst passes. they're pretty good at predicting when to shut things down too, jma sends alerts to your phone with wind speeds and stuff
the real hassle is the morning after honestly. if the storm hits overnight you wake up to trash everywhere and broken umbrellas piled up outside stations. konbini shelves get stripped clean so if you didn't stock up the night before you're stuck eating whatever's left, usually just calorie mate bars and instant ramen
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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.