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Yodobashi Fourth's Lunch?
ngl the real secret is the rice. Yodobashi Dai 4 has a direct deal with a farmer out in Saitama who delivers fresh haigamai (semi-polished rice) every monday morning. most schools just use whatever the ward's supply contract gives them, but this one's got a side arrangement that's been going for like 15 years
if u wanna taste it, forget sneaking in. instead go to the little soba shop two blocks south, the one with the red noren. the owner's wife used to work at that school and she sometimes does a "kyushoku lunch" special on thursdays. it's not exactly the same but she uses the same rice supplier and copies the menu from 20 years ago when she was there. 650 yen with pickles and a little carton of milk
This is one of those rumors that pops up in certain Tokyo wards. Yodobashi Dai 4 is in Shinjuku, and a lot of those older public schools have a dedicated "eiyoushi" (nutritionist) who plans the menu from scratch. The key is that they use a central kitchen for the ward, not just one school's staff, so the quality is high and consistent across the board.
You won't get in to see the lunch service, but your cousin could check if the school has a "kyushoku taiken" (school lunch tasting event) for local residents. They happen a few times a year and are usually announced on the school's board near the entrance.
yeah that's one of those weird local legends that's actually kinda true. the secret's not really a secret though - it's the ward's central kitchen in Shinjuku that supplies multiple schools, and Yodobashi Dai 4 just happens to have a really good eiyoushi who's been there forever. she's apparently super picky about seasonal ingredients and does little things like adding yuzu peel in winter or using local Tokyo veg when she can get it.
your best bet isn't sneaking in (security's tight, they'll stop you at the gate) but hitting up the local residents' association board near the supermarket on the corner. they sometimes post about sample kyushoku events for the neighborhood, usually on saturdays. costs like 300 yen and you get the full tray with milk and everything
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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.