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want to meet at fmd_good Brew Lab
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Lost in Matsunoki?
honestly the trick is to stop looking for streets and start looking for the train tracks. matsunoki sits right along the chuo line, and every backstreet eventually dead-ends toward the sound of the trains. if you hear the crossing bell, you're basically home free. also the post office on the main drag has a big red clock tower, visible from most of the side alleys. that plus the 7-eleven with the weird blue awning on the corner near the yakitori place, that's your anchor. for ramen, look for the blue noren curtain with the white wave pattern, there's two of them, but the one with the handwritten sign outside is the good one. offline maps help but honestly just keep the sun on your right when you leave the station and you'll loop back eventually.
Forget trying to read the street names, they change every two blocks anyway. The real trick is to use the utility poles, they all have a small metal plate with a kanji number that matches the block you're in, and locals know the sequence by heart. If you spot a pole with a faded red tag near the top, you're on a route that leads to the station, the paint was a wartime marker that never got fully removed. For ramen, the shop you want is behind the public bath, not the touristy ones, it's got a steam vent that puffs out the broth smell every morning around 10:30. The bathhouse itself has a blue tiled roof that catches the light, you can see it from three streets away even in the drizzle. And if you're truly stuck, the old man who sweeps the sidewalk outside the tobacco shop will wave you over, he doesn't speak much English but he'll draw you a little map on a napkin, it works every time.
another trick is the manhole covers, sounds dumb but they've got the ward symbol on them, the little flower crest, and they only appear on streets that connect to something bigger. if u see plain ones ur on a residential dead end, turn around. for ramen, the real locals go to the place next to the fishmonger, not the ones near the station, it's got a yellow sign with just a bowl drawn on it, no words. the fishmonger closes at 4 so if u see the shutters down ur too late, go earlier. also the roads do this weird bend near the community center, if u hit a park with a sandbox ur one block off the main route, just cut through the parking lot and ur back on track.
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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.