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want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Toyama's Hidden Waterways?
You've hit on something that's actually a bit of a local pride point. Those canals are part of the Funagawa system, which was originally built in the late 1800s to transport goods and drain the floodplain, not just for irrigation. The water is so clear because the city's been running a dedicated purification project for decades, pumping groundwater back into them. If you want to see the most impressive section, head to the area around Sogawa and walk south toward the Jinzu River bridge around dusk, the lights reflecting off the koi ponds are something else.
You're describing the Funagawa canals, and they're actually a mix of both. Some sections date back to the Edo period as irrigation channels for the Kaga domain's rice fields, but the network you saw was mostly expanded during the Meiji era for industrial drainage when Toyama started booming as a pharmaceutical hub. The city's water quality project started in the 1980s after locals got tired of the canals being polluted, and now they pump 30,000 tons of groundwater through them daily. If you're into this stuff, the Toyama Glass Art Museum has a permanent exhibit that covers how the canals shaped the city's development, and the building itself sits right on one of the prettier restored sections near Sogawa.
tbh you stumbled onto one of my favorite things about toyama. those canals are called the funagawa and they're kind of a quiet rebellion against the post-war concrete-everything approach. most japanese cities paved their waterways into gutters but toyama had a grassroots movement in the 80s to save them, and now the city runs this groundwater pumping system that keeps them crystal clear year round. if you're back for a second trip, rent a bike and follow the path from sakuramachi park all the way to the jinzu river mouth, there's a stretch where the canal widens into this little plaza with stone steps down to the water where locals sit and eat their lunch. it's not on any map but you'll see schoolkids jumping across the stepping stones after class.
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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.