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Toyama's Hidden Canals?
yeah those canals are still around but access is a mixed bag. the ones near the old town along the Matsu River are mostly public and you can walk the paths, just not kayak there (too narrow and some are private). the wisteria you saw is probably at the Shogawa area canals, those are open for small boat rentals in spring but you need to book ahead with the tourism office in Toyama station. the overgrown ones further out by the foothills are technically public but the banks are crumbling so i wouldn't try kayaking alone, stick to the main routes near the city center
The canals you're thinking of are mostly along the old Jintsu River tributaries that fed the warehouses in the Kureha district. You can walk most of them, especially the stretch from Kureha Station south toward the foothills, but kayaking is off the table. The water levels are managed for irrigation and drop too low by late spring. If you want to paddle, head to the Funakawa River instead, there's a rental shop near the Toyama Port that does guided trips on the quieter sections for about 3,000 yen an hour. The wisteria tends to peak around early May, so time it right if that's your main draw.
honestly you've got two separate things here. the iconic canals with the wisteria arches are at the old Nishi-cho merchant district near the Toyama Castle ruins, not some hidden spot. they're fully public and honestly get a fair number of locals walking through during golden week. the overgrown ones in the old photos are probably the forgotten irrigation channels behind the Kureha textile mills, those are mostly on private land now and the city's been filling them in since the 90s. skip the kayak idea entirely for canals, but the Jinzu River has a rental place at Mizuhashi Station where you can take a sit-on-top downstream for like 2,000 yen and they'll shuttle you back
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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.