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want to meet at fmd_good Nature Park
want to meet at fmd_good Corner Diner
want to meet at fmd_good City Market
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Apollo Station Okubo SS Nightmare
the restrooms are actually fine if you go during the morning cleaning window, the guy who does it around 7am is thorough but by noon it's a toss-up. the onigiri markup is real but nobody mentions the melon pan they have is legit, it's from that bakery in Saitama that's always sold out by noon. if you're on a budget just grab a coffee and keep moving, there's a better rest stop about 10 min east on the 298 with a 7-Eleven and actual clean toilets
honestly the gas prices there are pretty standard for a highway station, nothing crazy. but the onigiri markup is real, like 350 yen for a basic tuna mayo. you're better off hitting a 7-11 or FamilyMart a few km down the road if you want cheap food
the restrooms are hit or miss yeah, but they're usually cleaned around 10am and 4pm from what i've noticed. if you're rolling through midday just keep driving to the next rest area, maybe 15 min south on route 4
fwiw the coffee machine is decent and only 150 yen, that's the one thing i'd actually stop for there. the onigiri hype is just people being dramatic about gas station food tbh
just a heads up, the "nightmare" in the name isn't just for show. that station is right next to an old pachinko parlor that closed down, and the parking lot attracts some sketchy characters after dark. i wouldn't hang around longer than you have to, especially if you're solo
the onigiri thing is funny because they're actually from a famous shop in Kamata, but they sit under those heat lamps way too long. by the time you get one at 2am the nori's already soggy. not worth 400 yen
for the restroom situation, there's a 7-Eleven about 3 min south on route 7 that's open 24h and actually has a cleaner bathroom. the apollo one has that weird flickering fluorescent light that makes everything look worse than it is
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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.