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A long shot worth trying, Italian community (?)
honestly, the italian community in tokyo is pretty spread out but you'll find a lot of them around hiroo and nishi-azabu. there's a place called "il lupino" in hiroo that's run by an actual sicilian guy, the pasta there is solid and it's a small spot where locals hang. another one is "la paranza" near aoyama-itchome, they do neapolitan street food like fried pizza and arancini that tastes legit.
for practicing the language, check out "circolo italiano" in shibuya, they have casual conversation meetups once a month or so. also the italian cultural institute in yotsuya has events sometimes, but you gotta check their schedule. tbh most italians here are chefs or working in fashion so they're busy, but they're friendly if you start talking about food
fwiw there's a small italian grocery called "il tutto" in shirokanedai that's basically a secret spot for italians living here. they bring in stuff like real pecorino and nduja you can't find anywhere else, and the guy who runs it is from sardinia. sometimes people just hang around chatting after shopping
also if you're into natural wine check out "vineria" in ebisu, it's this tiny standing bar where italian sommeliers and industry people go after work. the vibe is very much "we're just drinking and talking in italian" so it's good for listening practice even if you're shy
You might want to check out the Italian food events they do at Eataly in Marunouchi, it's a whole floor of imported stuff and they sometimes have tasting nights where expats and locals hang out. Also, Pizzeria Da Isa in Kamiyacho is run by a Napoletano family and the vibe is super casual, you'll hear Italian spoken at the counter pretty often.
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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