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Toyama's Snow Walls
one thing nobody's mentioned yet is the boots situation. you can rent crampons at the snow wall site for like 500 yen and honestly they're worth it, the path gets super icy especially in the morning before the sun hits it. saw a guy wipe out hard last year because he thought his hiking boots were enough
also if you're going late april try to get one of the first buses from tateyama station, like the 5am one. the snow walls are way more impressive in the low morning light and you'll have like 30 minutes of near-empty corridors before the tour groups show up around 8. that golden hour glow through the snow is what the photos never capture
the crowded bus from bijodaira to murodo is a real thing but if you stand on the right side you get the better view of the valley opening up. left side is just rock face for most of it
the other commenters nailed the timing thing, but one thing people don't mention is the microclimate up there. even if it's 15 degrees in toyama city, at murodo it could be below freezing with windchill. the snow corridor walk itself is cool but honestly the real showstopper is the view from the top of the ropeway if you get a clear day. also bring cash for the snow wall walkway, they have a little stall selling hot amazake and it hits different when you're standing in a literal ice canyon
honestly the difference between late april and early may is pretty big. by golden week in early may you're looking at way less snow on the walls, maybe 5-7 meters shorter, and the crowds are insane. mid-late april gives you the full 15-20 meter walls and way fewer people, especially if you go on a tuesday or wednesday. just be ready for the weather up there, it can switch from sunny to blizzard in 20 minutes, i've seen it happen. the ropeway is worth the hype though, that view of the northern alps coming out of the clouds is something else
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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.