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Where can I find red or yellow autumn leaves in Tokyo this week?
You're right that it's early, but higher elevation spots in Tokyo are already shifting. Mount Takao's cable car area usually shows some yellowing ginkgo and reddish leaves on the momiji trees by mid-November, so this week you might catch the first real patches near the summit. Also check the gardens at the Hotel Chinzanso in Bunkyo City, they have an artificial valley that holds color a bit earlier due to the microclimate. The ginkgo trees along Meiji Jingu Gaien's avenue are still mostly green, but a few at the southern end near the Aoyama Cemetery have started turning a pale yellow.
I'd check the grounds of the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park. The maple trees near the main building and the garden behind it often show color a week or two ahead of the city average, especially the ones shaded by the old zelkova trees. For yellow, the ginkgo trees around Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda have a few branches turning already on the south side where they get more sun. The contrast with the dark shrine buildings makes for good portraits if your clients want something less crowded than the usual spots.
fwiw theres a small cluster of momiji near the Higo Hosokawa Garden entrance in Koishikawa that usually turns a bit earlier than the rest of the neighborhood, prob cause its tucked against the wall and gets less wind. the garden itself isnt huge but the red leaves against the dark wood gate make for nice close-up shots. also the ginkgo on the street outside the garden near the Sengoku intersection has a few branches that are already pale yellow, its not a full avenue or anything but its a decent spot if youre near Bunkyo already
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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.