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Weekend activities/events for younger kids in English?
Some notes: -I already belong to a FB group for my area for international/English-speaking playdates, so I am just looking for more options. -Weekends only. I love the idea of something like the Roppongi Cooperative Playgroup but it seems geared towards families with a stay at home parent as the events are only on weekday mornings.
Thank you!!
fwiw the Kodomo no Kuni in Machida does weekend events in english sometimes, mostly seasonal stuff like pumpkin carving or paper lanterns for obon. it's a huge park so your kid can run around after and it's only like 600 yen entry. check their schedule online they don't post far in advance
another one is the Gotanda Cultural Center, they have a saturday morning english music and movement class for 3-5 year olds once a month. it's run by a british lady named Sarah, super chill, more about singing and dancing than structured learning. 1500 yen drop-in i think
the Yoyogi Village weekend market has a rotating kids corner where they sometimes do english storytime or simple crafts, it's really hit or miss but it's free. i'd just show up early and ask the info booth if they know what's happening that day
one thing that i havent seen mentioned yet is the Meguro River Cherry Blossom Promenade area, they have a small community center near the Nakameguro station that does weekend english workshops for kids sometimes. its not a regular thing but they pop up a few times a year, usually around holidays. i went to one with my niece last spring and it was like 700 yen for a paper craft session, all in english. the lady running it was a retired teacher from canada
theres also a little cafe in Sangenjaya called Cafe Otona that does sunday morning english storytime for 4-6 year olds once a month. its a small space, like 10 kids max, and they read two books then do a coloring activity. 500 yen with a drink for you. they post on their instagram about a week before, its pretty casual and not crowded at all
i know you already have the fb group thing but have you looked into the tokyo parents group that does the saturday morning thing at the Community House in Azabu Juban? it's not super polished but they do an english storytime and sometimes a simple craft, like 800 yen per session. the space is small but it's run by a local mom who's been doing it for years
also the Setagaya Art Museum does weekend workshops for kids that sometimes have english-speaking instructors, especially the ones tied to current exhibits. it's not every week but the materials are good and it's only like 500 yen. you'd need to check their website for the english-friendly ones
one more random one - the Tokyo Toy Museum in Shinjuku has a saturday english play hour with wooden toys and puzzles, no structured activity but the staff can do some english. it's 1000 yen for adults and kids under 4 are free, but your son is 4 so he'd be 500 yen i think
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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.