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want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Empty Tank Anxiety?
the cash thing is real, lots of rural stations don't take cards so keep some yen handy. also some stations have those weird automatic car wash machines that are like a full on spa for your car, kinda fun to try once. just top up when you're at half a tank and you won't have issues
ngl you're way overthinking the amenities thing, it's just a gas station with some snacks and maybe a decent coffee. the real pro tip is to always carry cash since some rural stations are cash-only and their card machines might be down. i've never run out of gas but i did once panic near nagano when i saw the next station was 40km away and my gauge was on E - just fill up whenever you see one if you're below half a tank and you'll be fine
You're overthinking the "amenities" angle. Apollostation Okubo SS is fine, it's a standard gas station with a small shop. The real thing to know about Japanese gas stations is that most of them close at night, especially outside major routes. I've seen people get caught out near Chiba because they assumed a 24-hour station existed around the corner and it didn't.
For your trip, just fill up when you hit half a tank, not when the light comes on. The gaps between stations in rural Japan can be 50 kilometers or more, and some of them only take cash. I'd rather waste a few minutes topping off than learn that lesson the hard way.
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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.