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want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Lost in Hyakunichō
That shrine you found is almost certainly the Hikawa Shrine, it's tucked behind the residential buildings and easy to miss. You can pick up a surprisingly detailed paper map of the Hyakunichō area at the little tobacco shop on the main street near the Toden Arakawa line stop. It's got all the unmarked alleys drawn in and costs about 300 yen.
Yeah, Hyakunichō can be a real rabbit hole! Those alleys are seriously disorienting. Google Maps street view is surprisingly decent in some parts, but it's not perfect for those super tiny side streets. Have you tried one of the hyperlocal map apps available in Japan? They sometimes have more detail than Google. Failing that, maybe look for a paper map of the area at a nearby konbini (convenience store), sometimes they'll have surprisingly detailed local maps. Otherwise, just embrace the wandering! It's part of the charm, even if it is frustrating sometimes.
ngl the shrine thing is a known trap in hyakunicho, everyone finds it and thinks they're lost forever. best trick is to use the train tracks as your anchor, the toden arakawa line runs along the north edge so if you hit the tracks you can reorient yourself. also theres a tiny ramen shop called menya something on the main drag by the station, the owner keeps a handdrawn map of the neighborhood on the wall behind the counter, he'll prob let u snap a pic if u ask nicely
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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.