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want to meet at fmd_good Forno Centrale
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Toyama's Winter Lights?
fwiw the smaller stuff is more about timing than location. if you're there mid december, some of the local temples do these quiet evening events called "hotaru" nights where they light up the grounds with candles instead of LEDs. super low key, mostly older folks from the neighborhood. the one near the jinzu river bridge does it around the 15th every year, no website or anything, just a sign out front a few days before. also the residential area west of kosei station has a tradition where like 5 or 6 families decorate their front gardens together, it's not advertised at all but if u walk around there after dark you'll see it, feels more like a neighborhood secret than a festival
ngl the best intimate light spot i've found is the small path behind kureha shrine, locals put up paper lanterns along the canal there in december, maybe 30 or 40 of them, no signage or promotion at all. also if you wander the residential streets near toyama castle park around 5pm, some old houses have these tiny led displays in their windows that feel like stumbling onto a secret, way better than the main street chaos
You might have better luck heading over to Iwasehama or the port area. There's a small park there, Iwasehama Park, that gets a modest string-light setup in winter, nothing like the big displays, but the view over the water at night is quiet and pretty. Also, some of the local shopping arcades, like the one near Toyama Station's east exit, put up their own simple lights without the crowds, just shop owners decorating their own blocks.
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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.