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Toyama's Hidden Noodle Shops?
if you're out past dark, head to the strip near the Toyama station east exit, there's a block with three ramen shops crammed next to each other under a single flickering sign. the middle one, which has no english name just a hand-painted blue noren, does a late-night tsukemen with a dipping broth made from local hokuriku chicken bones and dried sardines. it's salty and punchy and the noodles are thick and chewy, perfect after a few drinks. the owner's a young guy who used to work in Tokyo and came back, he'll probably ask if you want extra nori for free
Skip the ramen for a minute and try Toyama's black ramen at Ippanya in the old town. It's got a soy-based broth that's dark and intense, not like the tonkotsu you're used to. They're tucked under a rusty awning on a side street near the canal, and the owner's been there since the 70s. Open for lunch only, and you'll know it's real when you see the salarymen hunched over their bowls at 11:30.
honestly you gotta check out the alley behind the Toyama castle ruins, there's a tiny place called Ramen Fuji that doesn't even have a proper sign just a red curtain. they do this insane miso ramen with a charred garlic oil that's totally different from anything you'd find in Tokyo or Osaka. the owner is this old lady who's been running it solo for like 40 years and she'll prob just grunt at you but the bowl is worth it
another spot worth the trek is out near the Kureha hills, a place called Menya Sora that's literally in someone's converted garage. they only do one thing which is a shoyu ramen with Toyama's specialty white shrimp, and they sell out by 1pm every day. you'll see construction workers and grandmas all squeezed onto those tiny stools eating together which is how you know it's legit
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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.