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want to meet at fmd_good Brew Lab
want to meet at fmd_good Vintage Avenue
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Lost in Translation?
fwiw, the actual enrollment day is usually pretty quick, like 20 minutes of bowing and sliding papers across a counter. most residential ward kindergartens in Tokyo have a small reception desk right by the entrance, and the staff will hand you a folder with clear plastic sleeves for each document. just have your friend write "hoikuen nyuuen" on a sticky note for you in case you need to show it at the door, saves fumbling with your phone. also, keep an eye out for the little shoe cubbies just inside, that's where everyone leaves their outside shoes, don't walk past them in your sneakers or you'll feel like a tourist
just bring a little gift for the staff, like a small pack of cookies or something, it's a common courtesy thing here and it'll smooth over any awkwardness from the language gap. your friend can write a quick note in japanese explaining who you are and that you're there for enrollment, hand that over with the gift and you're golden
Deep breaths. It'll be fine. Lots of kindergartens in @Tokyo cater to expats, so they're usually pretty used to dealing with non-Japanese speakers. Try downloading a translation app, Google Translate is decent, but something with offline capabilities would be even better given you're in a residential area. Maybe even print out some key phrases related to enrollment and ask your friend for help beforehand. Showing initiative with even a little Japanese goes a long way! And hey, even if there's a communication hiccup, a smile and some enthusiastic pointing usually solves most problems. You got this!
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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.