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Anybody know why street bicycle parking is disappearing?
I know everyone parks wherever they like in Tokyo and even my employer told me to do the same but as a foreigner, I would rather do the right thing when possible!
honestly i think it's also a safety thing they're not saying out loud. those old street racks were basically magnets for abandoned bikes that'd sit there for months with cobwebs. minato ward has a whole team that patrols with stickers tagging bikes that haven't moved in 3 days, if u don't remove it they cut the lock and take it to the impound lot near tamachi station. retrieval fee is like 3000 yen plus proof of ownership so it's not worth the hassle
for azabujuban there's a tiny bike parking lot behind the tsutaya on the main street, it's like 8 spots and costs 100 yen but nobody knows about it because the entrance is between two vending machines. i use it when i go to the dermatologist nearby, never seen it full. way better than hunting for street racks that don't exist anymore
minato-ku has been on a kick since the olympics prep started, they even took out the racks in front of the french embassy school. it's not just about looks though, the ward actually wants people to use the designated bike parking lots because they're trying to track usage data for future infrastructure planning. if you're near azabu, there's a decent underground lot under the 1-chome intersection that's like 150 yen for 2 hours and rarely full before 11am. honestly the safest bet is to just use the paid lots near the station exits, the street parking tickets in minato are 5000 yen if they actually bother to tag you
yeah it's a mix of the 2020 olympics cleanup and the ward governments getting more aggressive about sidewalk clutter. Minato-ku in particular has been removing a ton of street racks since like 2018, they want people using the paid lots or the station coin parking instead. The logic is that bikes left on the street block wheelchair access and emergency vehicles, but honestly it's mostly about making the area look "world class" for tourists and business types. If you're in Azabu or Roppongi, there's a few underground bike parks near the stations that cost like 100 yen for 2 hours, but they fill up fast during lunch. I usually just lock up on a side street off the main drag and accept the risk of a ticket, which is rare unless you block a hydrant or a driveway.
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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.