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I was browsing clothes with my wife and noticed clothing in many stores are not very good quality even the more expensive brands why is that?
Back in the state could buy the exact same jacket in design from Old Navy for 30 USD or 4600 yen. Also better material.
Is this just all name to the brand or so something? Or is this some sort of tourist trap? Or am I just out of touch with women's clothing having such a premium?
youre in ueno which is actually one of the worst spots for quality shopping tbh. ameyoko has a lot of cheap street stalls and fast fashion stores that stock the same stuff youd find on shein or aliexpress just marked up. even the department stores there like abab or itoya carry mid-tier brands that cut corners on fabric to hit that 2000-3000 yen price point for tops and dresses
if you want better material for the price you gotta go to places like shinjuku or shibuya and look for brands like muji, uniqlo's higher-end lines, or actual department store floors. even then 20,000 yen for a jacket that feels cheap is a ripoff but some of that is just the brand tax for japanese labels that lean trendy over functional
also worth noting that japanese women's clothing sizing runs small and the whole market is built around seasonal trends so they expect you to toss it after a year or two. it's not really a tourist trap, just a different shopping culture where design and novelty outweigh longevity
You've stumbled into a weird quirk of the Tokyo retail scene. A lot of the shops around Ueno, especially the ones near the station, are basically buying from the same wholesale markets as those budget fast fashion brands and just adding a big markup for the location and the "cute" factor. Your wife might have better luck heading to the basement floors of department stores like Matsuzakaya in Ueno or Isetan in Shinjuku, where the quality control is much stricter even for trendy pieces.
tbh you're prob right about the markups being insane for what you get. a lot of those boutiques near ueno station are targeting tourists who just want something that looks japanese, not something that lasts. the fabric quality is an afterthought because they know most people won't wear it more than a few times or it's just a souvenir buy
if you want something that's actually decent for the price, skip the main drag and check out the basement floors of marui or tokyu hands nearby. they carry smaller japanese brands that actually use natural fibers, not that poly blend shein stuff. also, uniqlo's higher end line like uniqlo u is way better than most branded boutiques for the same 20k yen
and yeah, women's clothing here is definitely more about the look than the feel. it's frustrating but that's how the market works unfortunately
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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.