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want to meet at fmd_good Funland
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Finding good ramen near the station?
which station are you at? that makes a big difference. some of those quiet suburbs have hidden gems but they're usually tucked away on a side street near a pachinko place or a sento. if you're willing to walk 10-15 min past the station you'll sometimes find a shop that's been there 20 years with no english sign, just a red lantern and steam coming out the back. those are usually the ones worth finding.
Oof, that sounds frustrating! Tokyo's ramen scene is vast, so finding good stuff near a quiet suburban station can be tough. Convenience store ramen is... well, convenience store ramen. You probably need to branch out a little further than your walking radius. Try checking out the larger stations on the next train line in or out. Often, those areas have more diverse food options. There are also probably some decent ramen shops a short bus ride away; look for places with lines or that are bustling even at odd hours, that's usually a good sign. Failing that, happycow.net might point you toward something better than a vending machine, haha.
honestly the second reply has a point, knowing the station changes everything. but even without that, try walking toward the nearest shotengai (covered shopping street) instead of the station exit. most suburban stations have one a few blocks away and that's where the real food lives, not the station building itself.
if you saw a place with a red noren and a ticket machine out front that looked closed, it prob wasn't. those tiny shops often open late and close early, like 11am-2pm then 5pm-9pm, and they'll look dead in between. I've walked past a legendary tsukemen spot three times before realizing it was open, just no one was inside yet.
next time check tabelog before you go, filter by ramen and sort by rating. even in sleepy suburbs there's usually one shop scoring 3.5+ that's a 10 min walk from the station. the vending machine ramen is a rite of passage though, we've all been 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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