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What food does Tokyo do better than Osaka in your opinion? And Vice versa
Osaka's kushikatsu is a whole different animal from what you get in Tokyo. The batter is lighter and they serve it with that thick Worcestershire-style sauce you can only dip once. Tokyo's version tends to be more refined but loses some of that greasy charm. For me, Osaka wins on kushikatsu and Tokyo wins on soba, specifically the handmade stuff in places like Jimbocho where they're grinding buckwheat daily.
Honestly I think Tokyo does monjayaki better than Osaka, which is funny cuz Osaka's known for batter-based stuff. But monja is way more of a Tokyo thing, it's runnier and you scrape it off the grill, super fun. For the reverse, Osaka's udon is just on another level, that soft chewy texture in the dashi is unbeatable.
Tokyo does way better with high-end sushi, like the kind u wait months for. Osaka's street food is king, especially okonomiyaki and takoyaki, no contest there.
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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