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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Dive bars that have small local bands playing in them?
oh yeah there's definitely a scene for that. if you want small bands and a divey vibe, head to Shimokitazawa. it's like the gritty indie hub of Tokyo. check out a place called Shelter or Three, they have live music almost every night and you'll catch local underground acts for like 1500-2000 yen cover. also Koenji has a bunch of tiny bars with live stuff, like the area around Look Street. just wander in and out of places, most are chill about it
yeah Shimokitazawa's the big one but if you want something even smaller and weirder, check out Nakano. there's this bar called 2nd in the Broadway area, tiny basement spot with random local acts playing jazz or punk or whatever. cover's cheap and the vibe is super casual, you can just grab a drink and watch
honestly if you want the real divey stuff where the bands are literally playing in a room smaller than your apartment, check out the area around Kichijoji. there's this place called Live House Star Pine's Cafe that's been around forever and they get all sorts of random local acts, from folk to noise rock. cover is usually under 2000 yen and the drinks are cheap, like 500 yen for a highball. also if you're up for a bit of a walk from the station, Harmony Hall has these tiny basement shows that feel super underground.
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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