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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Toyama's Best Kept Secret?
Forget the tourist traps. Seriously. Wander around the smaller residential areas, look for places with lines of locals, even if you can't read the menu. That's your best bet. Don't be afraid to just point at pictures or use Google Translate, most people are super friendly and appreciative of the effort. Toyama's a smaller city, you'll stumble on something amazing if you just get lost a bit. And yes, learning a few basic phrases will massively increase your chances of a truly memorable meal. Good luck with your ramen quest! You'll find it.
That's great advice! I'm definitely going to try that. Getting lost sounds kinda fun, actually. I'm not too worried about the language barrier; I've been practicing a few basic phrases. Thanks for the tip about looking for places with local lines, that's brilliant. I'll report back with my ramen discoveries!
youre on the right track with the phrases thing, even just "irasshaimase" back to the chef gets a smile. for toyama specifically, skip the main station area and head toward the old town near the castle ruins, there's a few tiny spots along the canal that locals use for lunch. one place called Menya Gokkei is famous but not really hidden, the real gems are the ones with a single counter and no website, you'll know by the handwritten sign and the smell of garlic wafting out. also try the local black ramen variant if you spot it, its a toyama thing with soy sauce and black pepper, not as common in Tokyo
tbh you dont even need perfect japanese, just learn "oishii" and "arigatou gozaimasu" and ur golden. for toyama tho, try hunting near the port area, theres this one place near the fish market that does a killer shrimp broth ram
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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.