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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Best jewelers in Okachimachi?
fwiw theres a place called Tokiwa on the main drag that does mostly antique and vintage rings, prob not what youre after for a new one but worth a look if shes into art deco stuff. their inventory changes constantly so you might get lucky with a unique stone
for the newer stuff I'd skip the big chain stores on the east side of the station, theyre fine but you pay for the rent and the lighting. instead hit the small alley behind the post office, theres a workshop called Kondo that does custom pieces in house. they showed me a 0.7ct round with GIA cert for like 380k yen which seemed decent for the quality
The key thing nobody's touched on is that Okachimachi is split into two distinct markets. The shops right at the station exit handle mostly new production stuff, but if you walk five minutes east toward the Kotobuki-cho intersection, you'll find places that specialize in recycled gold and remounted stones. A shop called Tanaka on that block had a tray of GIA-certified stones that were clearly from estate pieces, and they were priced about 20% below what the station shops wanted for comparable specs. Just check the shank thickness on anything remounted, some of them get ground down too thin.
one piece of advice i dont see here yet - bring cash if you can. not like a bag full of it but enough for a deposit if you find the one. a bunch of those smaller shops near the station give a 3-5% discount for cash payments, and on a 400k yen ring that adds up. just make sure you get a receipt showing the stone specs so you have documentation for insurance later
also if your gf is into trying stuff on, the lighting in those basement level shops is terrible for seeing how the diamond actually sparkles. ask them to let you step outside the doorway for a sec, the natural light on chuo-dori will tell you way more than those little desk lamps they all use. the good shops wont mind, the sketchy ones will make excuses
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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.