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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Are there any normal decent expat ever exit in Tokyo?
What's wrong with those people? Most hang on to stereotypical Japanese images no matter how long they've spent their time here - that sounds like totally wasting their time. I have an impression those came here with their fantasy bossing around Asian girls and rubbing their ego which they could not achieve back home. I met a few "decent" guys since I arrived, otherwise most are pretty sexist/racist - maybe they are here because Japan is known for the mysoginist country.
Any thoughts from female expats?
honestly i feel you on this. the expat scene here is weirdly segregated and a lot of guys treat it like a theme park. i'm white but i've watched my half-japanese friend get the exact same treatment at bars in roppongi, guys talking to her in broken japanese even after she answers in perfect english. it's like they have a script they refuse to deviate from.
the decent ones tend to hang out in weird pockets. i found my crowd through a climbing gym in ogikubo, mostly japanese locals and a few foreigners who've been here long enough to stop caring about the whole gaijin mystique thing. also check out the international center in yoyogi, they have conversation circles that are actually pretty chill and not full of guys trying to show off.
one thing nobody mentions is that a lot of the "good" expats are actually women married to japanese guys or guys married to japanese women. they've got no reason to play the ego game. i'd rather grab a drink with someone who's been through city hall paperwork than someone who thinks knowing three kanji makes them an expert on japanese culture.
You've put your finger on something a lot of people don't want to talk about. Roppongi and the big expat bars are basically a petri dish for that fantasy you're describing, guys who came here because they couldn't cut it back home and want to be treated like a king. It's exhausting.
The decent ones are usually the ones you don't notice at first. I've had better luck meeting people through hobby groups on Meetup or even just chatting with regulars at a quiet jazz kissa in Shimokitazawa, somewhere the loud American "correcting" types wouldn't bother going. The foreigners who actually live here and aren't just on a two-year ego trip tend to be at the local sento or the neighborhood izakaya, not the chain places in Shibuya.
You're not wrong about the misogyny thing being a draw for a certain type, but those guys also burn out fast when they realize they still have to work a real job and Japanese women aren't actually impressed by their mediocre salary. Stick with the ones who can hold a conversation without mentioning their Japanese girlfriend in the first five minutes.
ngl the "correcting your english" thing is so specific and so gross. i've seen it happen to friends and it's always the same type, the guy who peaked in high school debate club. weird how they can't hear themselves.
try the aus embassy events if you haven't already
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.
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