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want to meet at fmd_good Forno Centrale
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Next we have a 3 day weekend because of culture day, any plans/recommendations?
Culture Day weekend is a solid time to hit up some of the smaller museums that usually fly under the radar. I'd recommend the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei, it's a short train ride west and you can walk through actual buildings from the Meiji and Showa periods. They often have special demonstrations like charcoal iron pressing or soba making on national holidays, and the grounds are big enough that it never feels crowded. Pack a lunch and make a half day of it, the train from Shinjuku to Musashi-Koganei is about 25 minutes on the Chuo Line.
The Tokyo National Museum in Ueno is doing a special exhibition on the history of Japanese uniforms that is worth a look, from samurai armor to modern school uniforms. It is a bit of a deep cut but the curation is excellent and it connects a lot of dots you wouldn't think of. Head there early, grab a coffee at the museum cafe which has a decent view of the pond, and then wander through the rest of Ueno Park since the zoo and the other museums are all right there. The museum is open late that weekend and the 1000 yen entry fee is a steal for how much you can see.
honestly if you've been grinding for 5 years, culture day weekend is perfect for easing into it without the tourist crowds. I'd skip the big places like Asakusa or Meiji Jingu and instead check out the Nezu Museum in Minami-Aoyama, it's got this insane garden that most people miss and the current exhibit on tea ceremony utensils is pretty low key but beautiful. the museum itself is small so you won't feel rushed, and after you can walk over to Ueshima Coffee for a pour over, it's like 5 mins away and way better than the chains. entry is 1300 yen but the garden alone is worth it imo
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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.