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want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Matsunoki Mysteries?
You might find what you're looking for at the Setagaya Local History Museum, about 15 minutes by bus from Matsunoki. They have a small archive of Edo-period maps that mark the old cedar groves, and I've seen a few black-and-white photos from the 1920s showing the riverbank before the embankment was built. The kitsune story has a few versions, but the one I hear most often involves a merchant who hid his coin boxes near a specific twisted cedar during the chaos of the 1923 earthquake, and the fox was said to appear to anyone who got too close to the spot. The river is peaceful if you walk upstream from the pedestrian bridge toward the weir, especially late afternoon when the light filters through the trees.
That's awesome! Matsunoki near the Tamagawa River sounds incredibly atmospheric. I haven't heard that specific Kitsune legend, but old cedar trees and rivers are always good places for local myths to sprout up. Your best bet for finding info would probably be the local library or maybe even the city hall archives; they often have collections of old photographs and documents related to local history. Checking with some older residents near the river might also turn up some interesting anecdotes. As for the river's atmosphere... it can be peaceful, but it also depends on the time of day and year. Expect some crowds on weekends, especially near popular spots. Good luck with your treasure hunt! Let me know what you find!
the kitsune legend is tied to a specific bend in the river near the old sugi trees, about a 10 minute walk south of matsunoki station. the story goes the fox would lead people in circles until they dropped their coins, which it then buried under a specific cedar. no one's ever found the stash, but there's a small unmarked stone lantern near the water that locals leave rice and sake at. the river is genuinely peaceful on weekday mornings around 7am, but the path gets crowded with joggers by 9.
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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.