The parking garage at LaLaport Toyosu has a rooftop level that's pretty underrated. It's a bit of a trek from central Tokyo but you get a direct view of the Rainbow Bridge and Odaiba's skyline with zero buildings blocking it. Weekday mornings are dead empty and it's only 300 yen for the first hour, plus the ramps are wide enough that you won't scrape your pegs.

If you want something closer in, the Yotsuya campus of Sophia University has a small multi-story lot that's open to the public on weekends. The top floor gives you a weird angle of the Meiji Jingu Gaien area with the ginkgo trees lining the avenue below, and the concrete barriers are low enough to lean your bike against for a clean shot. Just don't try it during weekday classes or the security will shoo you out.

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theres a parking structure near Tokyo Tower thats pretty solid for photos. the Prince Park Tower Tokyo has a multi-story garage that wraps around the building, and if you go up to the 5th or 6th floor you get the tower right in your frame. its like 400 yen for 30 mins but if youre quick with the shots its worth it. the ramps are tight tho so take it slow on the bike

for a different vibe theres that big parking lot at Yokohama Cosmo World. its a flat roof deck but you can see the whole ferris wheel and the bay behind it. about a 30 min ride from central Tokyo but the highway cruise down is nice

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Check the parking at the Shibuya Stream building. It's newer so the ramps are wide and smooth, and the top level faces the Shibuya River area rather than the crossing itself. You'll get a clean shot of the new high-rises and the train tracks curving into the station, especially nice when the evening lights hit the glass. It's around 500 yen for the first hour and empties out fast after 8pm.

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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

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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.

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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.

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