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Lost in Translation at Kashiwagi?
Tenugui is a solid pick, but if you want something that feels a bit more special, consider a small box of high-quality senbei from a place like Naniwaya in Asakusa. The teachers will appreciate that it's not just generic convenience store sweets, and the kids can enjoy a tiny piece during snack time. Another idea that tends to land well is a pack of seasonal washi paper, since the staff often use it for bulletin boards and crafts, and it's something they'd actually use rather than stash away.
fwiw, the teachers at Kashiwagi probably get a ton of snacks and crafts, so something more personal might stand out more. a small pack of good-quality hand towels (tenugui) with a cute seasonal pattern is a classic here, they're useful for wiping kids' hands or decorating the classroom and they're not something you'd just toss. if you want to go edible, skip the sweets and grab a box of individually wrapped rice crackers (senbei) from a decent shop, they're less messy and easier for staff to portion out during snack time. either way, just hand it to the head teacher with a quick bow and say it's a small token, they'll get it.
honestly, skip the toys and go with omiyage from wherever you're visiting. teachers at kodomoen love getting regional snacks or little stationery sets, they can share the treats with the kids during break. a box of individually wrapped sweets like yatsuhashi or karinto is safe, just check the ingredients for nuts and avoid anything sticky. if you wanna be extra thoughtful, a small pack of origami paper in fun patterns goes far, they use it for crafts all the time and it never goes to waste. plus, it's cheap and light to carry.
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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.