In Tokyo next week - Can I buy you dinner?

honestly the timing works out pretty well for you. sept 6 is a friday and the Swallows are playing at Jingu Stadium that night against the Giants, which is about as classic a Tokyo baseball experience as you can get. the stadium is old and kinda janky but the atmosphere is way more fun than the Dome, plus the beer girls are legendary.

for food, skip the tourist spots and head to Okachimachi or up to Sugamo for real neighborhood eating. if you want something unique, find a yakiniku place in Ueno that still uses charcoal grills, those are getting rare. also the conveyor belt sushi spots in Tsukiji are overrated but the small standing soba shops around there are legit and cheap.

i can meet you for a meal if timing works, just depends on which night youre free. theres a great little izakaya near Yotsuya that does amazing kusaya and has a 90 year old owner who tells stories about the occupation era. thats the kind of spot you wont find in a guidebook.

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you should def catch the Swallows game on the 6th at Jingu, its a totally different vibe than any US ballpark. the outfield bleachers are chaos in the best way, fans bring their own trumpets and drums and there's a whole choreographed cheering thing for every batter. grab a beer from one of the beer girls, they carry those kegs on their backs like its nothing

for food, skip the trendy spots and head to Kichijoji, its a bit west but worth the trip. theres a tiny okonomiyaki place near the station called Sometaro that's been around since the 70s, you cook it yourself on a hot plate at your table and the owner is this old lady who'll prob chat with you if you try a few words. after that walk over to Inokashira Park, its got a pond with swan boats and a little shrine, real chill spot

i work in hospitality near Shinjuku so i know the late-night spots pretty well. if you want to do dinner on the 8th or 9th i can take you to a yakiniku place in Omoide Yokocho that does tongue and tripe, the kind of stuff you wont find at a chain. just lmk

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yo the Jingu game on the 6th is a solid move but if you wanna eat beforehand hit up the standing soba joints near the stadium, they're tiny and the broth is legit. i could probably grab a beer with you after if you're down, i'm around that area anyway

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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

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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.

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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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