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What is spreading around here? Flu, Covid, something else???
Yeah there's a nasty mix going around right now. I've heard a bunch of people at my office in Shinjuku describing the exact same pattern - feel better for a day or two then it comes back worse. The coughing and throat pain sounds like it could be the new COVID variant that's been floating through Shibuya and Minato lately, but there's also a brutal strain of adenovirus doing rounds at the clinics near Yoyogi Park. If you haven't already, try picking up some of the Lulu Attack or Stona tablets from a Matsumoto Kiyoshi - they're not prescription but they help with that deep cough. Also check if your local 内科 is still doing the free testing, the one near Yotsuya station has been booking same day slots.
The "recover then relapse" pattern has been hitting a lot of people in my building in Kichijoji too. My neighbor's kid brought home something from school that did exactly that, and the doctor at the Honan clinic said there's a nasty parainfluenza strain going around that mimics that cycle. For the throat pain, try the トローチ (lozenges) with cetylpyridinium chloride from the drugstore, they numb it better than the honey ones. If your cough is keeping you up, the 市販薬 (OTC) cough syrups at Tomod's are fine but the 咳止め patches you stick on your chest at night work better for that deep hacking.
That pattern of recovering and then getting hit again is really common right now. A lot of people I know in Setagaya have gone through the same thing over the past few weeks. It might be worth checking if it's mycoplasma pneumonia, which has been popping up more than usual at clinics around Shimokitazawa. The cough from that one tends to linger for weeks and the sore throat can be brutal. If you haven't already, try gargling with a strong saltwater rinse a few times a day, it won't fix it but it can take the edge off the throat pain until you can see a doctor.
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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.