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want to meet at fmd_good Glaze
want to meet at fmd_good Adventure Park
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Yodobashi Dai 4's Secret?
yeah the park timing thing works but if you want something more structured, check out the Tokyo Metropolitan Education Museum in Ota ward. it's a bit of a hike from Shinjuku but they have a full replica of a Meiji-era schoolhouse with old classrooms and stuff. your son would prob get a kick out of seeing the actual desks and chalkboards from the anime era
also fwiw Yodobashi Dai 4 is right near the Kanda River path. if you walk along it toward Waseda University you'll pass a bunch of small playgrounds and sports fields where kids hang out after school. the riverbank itself is super chill, lots of families just sitting around. way less weird than hovering at the school gate
one thing nobody's mentioned is that Japanese schools usually have a designated "school route" with those yellow safety flags. if you walk your kid along that path toward the station around 8am you'll see the morning commute parade of kids in uniforms with their little randoseru backpacks. it's just a normal street scene but really captures that anime feel
It's definitely understandable wanting to satisfy your son's curiosity without being a total weirdo. Peeking into the playground is probably not a great idea. Most Japanese elementary schools are pretty private, security-wise.
Your best bet is to look for local community events, sometimes they have things at nearby temples or parks. Check local event listings online closer to your travel dates; they might have something family-friendly that gives a glimpse into Japanese community life. Failing that, maybe a visit to a well-known, larger school museum (if @Tokyo has one) might be a better, less intrusive option.
The school route thing is a goldmine honestly. Walk along the Kanda River path near Yodobashi Dai 4 around 7:45am and you'll see kids walking in groups with those yellow hats and safety flags. It's just a normal morning scene but it feels straight out of an anime. No one will think twice about a parent and kid strolling by.
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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.