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Are most people in Tokyo Giants or Swallows fans?
And another related question: are most SERIOUS fans, not the casuals, Giants or Sw… Like I know Giants is the bigger team cos it has fans everywhere in the country. But what about Tokyo in particular?
And another related question: are most SERIOUS fans, not the casuals, Giants or Swallows fans? (if u think such a distinction can be sustained)
Again, in Tokyo.
You can split Tokyo fandom along the Yamanote Line pretty neatly. West side, towards Shinjuku and beyond, you get more Giants fans because that's where the corporate housing and older families are. East side, especially around Shinjuku, Akihabara, and down towards Shinagawa, Swallows fans are thicker on the ground.
For serious fans, the Swallows have the edge because they actually live with the team's struggles. A Giants fan who goes to 20 games a year is a fan. A Swallows fan who goes to 20 games a year is probably in a supporters group that does its own tifo and coordinates the chants. The difference is visible at the stadiums. At Jingu, the outfield stands are organized chaos with megaphones and flags. At the Dome, the outfield is more like a family outing.
The real tell is where people watch away games. Go to a sports bar in Shibuya on a night the Swallows are playing in Hiroshima. You will see a room full of people in green who know every opposing pitcher's weakness. The Giants bars are fuller but quieter, more about the broadcast than the crowd.
honestly the serious fan thing is real but i think you're overcomplicating it. most tokyo people who actually follow baseball will say they have a soft spot for the swallows even if they grew up giants fans. the giants are like the yankees, everyone knows them but nobody outside their core wants to admit it. at a izakaya near jingu after a game you'll hear more trash talk about the giants than praise for the swallows, that's just how it is
In central Tokyo you'll see a lot more Giants caps and jerseys, especially in business districts like Marunouchi or Ginza. The Giants have that corporate, establishment feel because of the Yomiuri media empire behind them, so a lot of salarymen grew up with them on TV.
The Swallows have a much stronger real local identity though. Go to Jingu Stadium on a summer night and you'll see the difference. Serious fans in Tokyo tend to be Swallows people because the team actually plays in the city, in Meiji Jingu, while the Giants are in the Dome in Bunkyo. Swallows fans are louder, more into the chants and the beer girls, and they don't have that bandwagon reputation. If you want the real Tokyo baseball experience, you hang out in the Jingu outfield stands.
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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