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Finding a Decent Onigiri Near Okubo SS?
actually theres a little shop tucked behind the okubo police box called onigiri maruten, they do a killer grilled salmon belly one with the skin still on, super crispy. they stay open til 1am most nights but it's easy to walk past if you're not looking for it, just look for the red lantern with the kanji for rice. fair warning though they're cash only and the lady who runs it can be a bit brusque if you take too long choosing
if you're at okubo station that late, konbini is honestly your best bet for a quick fix but the 7-11 near the okubo exit on yasukuni-dori has a surprisingly good spicy mentaiko one that's not just the usual tuna. for something more adventurous, you could walk toward higashi-nakano along the main road, there's a tiny place called bongo that does killer umeboshi and kombu onigiri, but they close at midnight so it's tight if your flight lands late. worst case, grab a couple from the famima right by the gas station, they rotate seasonal ones like salmon with shiso that are decent enough to get you through the night.
There's a spot called Onigiri Bongo up in Higashi-Nakano, about a ten minute walk from Okubo. They're usually open until midnight and do things like mentaiko and kombu that are way more interesting than what you'll find at a conbini. If that's too far, the 7-Eleven on the corner of Yasukuni-dori actually carries a decent spicy cod roe onigiri that's a cut above the standard stuff.
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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.