Create meetup in Tokyochevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
explore Tokyo Guides
bar_chart Trends in Tokyo
Tokyo Gas Station Mystery?
it's probably just a jomo gas station, there's a chain of them around tokyo that all have that weird sterile look. the one near omori station has the same vibe, super clean, always one guy at the counter. the company's known for being obsessively strict about cleanliness and they keep the lights at that harsh blue-white temp to deter loitering. if you want a normal gas station experience go to a cosmo or an eneos instead, they actually have people moving around and stuff on the shelves
honestly i think you hit one of those weird 24h stations that are basically just fronts for parking lots. there's a bunch near the bay area in tokyo where land is too expensive to actually run a real gas business but they keep the pumps active for tax purposes. the guy reading manga is prob just a part-timer who watches netflix all night and gets paid to exist. if you go back during the day you'll see the exact same vibe just with more light
Sounds like you stumbled into one of those self-serve stations that's been automated for years. There's a few scattered around the outer wards, especially in places like Edogawa or Katsushika, where the old owners retired and nobody wanted to take over. The guy reading manga is probably just the night attendant who gets paid to sit there in case someone needs help with the pump. The sterile look is because those places run on a strict cleaning schedule with almost no customers to mess it up. If it really bugs you, try going back during daylight hours and see if it feels any different.
load 1 more reply
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.