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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
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Input on Machida Suburb?
yeah jf oberlin is a bit of a hike from the main station but the bus is fine. if you're into hiking or just want a break from city stuff, serigaya park is a 20 min walk from campus and has these cool bamboo groves and a little shrine, really peaceful. for food, there's a curry place called curry house cochin in the shotengai that does a mean keema curry for like 800 yen, way better than the chain stuff. safety is basically non-issue, i've walked home at 2am from the station plenty of times and never felt sketchy. just know that the last odakyu express to machida from shinjuku is around midnight so plan your nights out accordingly or you're looking at a pricey taxi
machida's honestly a solid choice for a semester. it's not the most exciting part of tokyo but it's super safe and has everything you need day to day. the main station area has a big tokyu department store, a bunch of restaurants, and a decent movie theater. for getting into central tokyo, you take the odakyu line from machida station straight to shinjuku in about 30 minutes on the express, super easy. the vibe is more family-oriented and a bit sleepy compared to shibuya or shinjuku, but that makes it a good place to actually live and study without the constant chaos. if you want a real local experience, check out the yakitori places in the shotengai (shopping street) near the station, they're cheap and good
honestly machida's pretty underrated for a study abroad spot. the bus system from jf oberlin to machida station is reliable, like every 10 minutes during peak hours, and a one-way is like 220 yen. for weekend trips, the tokyu line to futako-tamagawa is only 15 minutes and has a huge shopping complex with a nice riverside park. the area around the university itself is really quiet, mostly residential hills, so bring a bike if u want to explore without waiting for buses. the machida gig concert venue sometimes has decent indie bands for cheap, like 2000-3000 yen tickets.
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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.