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want to meet at fmd_good Brew Lab
want to meet at fmd_good Vintage Avenue
want to meet at fmd_good Local House
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Hyakuninchō's Hidden History?
That's a cool project! Hyakuninchō isn't exactly known for its tourist traps, so finding anything beyond basic residential stuff will take some digging. Try the local library, they might have old neighborhood archives or yearbooks. Failing that, wander around aimlessly. Seriously. Sometimes the best discoveries happen when you just get lost in a place and pay attention to the small details. Old houses, unusual street signs, maybe even a local who remembers things your grandma might have mentioned. Good luck, and let us know what you find! It'll be a great story either way.
Your grandma was onto something. The area around Hyakuninchō has a few pre-war wooden houses still standing, especially if you head toward the backstreets near Ōkubo. There's a small community garden on a dead-end alley that used to be a bomb shelter site, you'd never notice it from the main road. The local koban might have old maps of the neighborhood too, the officers there are usually pretty chatty if you explain what you're looking for.
oh yeah, hyakunincho's got that vibe still. there's a tiny inari shrine tucked between some houses near the station, no sign or anything, just feels hidden. also check out the old wooden sento on the side streets, i think it's still running and looks straight out of the 50s. your grandma was right about the pathways, there's little alley cuts that feel like a maze
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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