Create meetup in Tokyochevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
explore Tokyo Guides
bar_chart Trends in Tokyo
Looking for a Perfume Museum in Tokyo to Surprise My Scent-Loving Girlfriend on Her Birthday, Any Recommendations?
honestly skip the perfume museum route and take her to Kōdō in Asakusa instead. it's an incense ceremony experience where you literally sit and smell different Japanese woods and spices, way more intimate than a museum. they do English friendly sessions if you book ahead, about ¥3000 per person.
if she likes more modern stuff, go to the Shiseido Gallery in Ginza. it's free and they rotate exhibits that often play with scent and beauty, plus you're right by the flagship store where she can sample everything. grab a table at their cafe on the top floor after, the matcha parfait is solid.
if she likes a more interactive scent experience, check out the fragrance library at Parco in Shibuya. they have this setup where you smell different scent families and it teaches you what notes you actually like, super useful for figuring out her preference. theres also a little bar there that does cocktail pairings with scents which is fun for a birthday vibe
for something completely different, the Ninja Museum in Shinjuku has a small incense and scent corner that's genuinely cool. you get to smell traditional ninja herbs and oils they used for hiding and disguising, it's unexpected and she'll probably find it way more memorable than a perfume shop
skip the perfume museum thing entirely, it's mostly just a shop with a few display cases. instead take her to the Aroma Lab in Kichijoji, it's a tiny workshop where you blend your own fragrance from like 50 different essential oils. she gets to walk out with a custom bottle and it's way more personal than buying something off a shelf. book ahead on their website, it's about ¥5000 per person and they do english menus. grab dinner at Harmonica Yokocho after, it's this cluster of tiny izakayas right by the station
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.
load 2 more replies