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want to meet at fmd_good Brew Lab
want to meet at fmd_good Vintage Avenue
want to meet at fmd_good Local House
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Underground/small music venues?
The issue is most websites only list big artists under concerts. Only way to find out if a smaller artist is playing is by either following the artist or the venue in social media.
tbh the best way to find these shows is to just hit up a live house bar during the day and talk to the staff, they'll usually have a printed calendar taped to the counter. for hardcore and metal, try Earthdom in Okubo, it's a small basement spot that books a lot of heavier stuff and the owner speaks some english if you need help reading the schedule. for rap and hiphop, check out Harlem in Shibuya, it's a tiny second floor place near the station that does weekly cyphers and open mic nights where local rappers hang out. most shows are cash only and start around 7pm, you can usually just walk in and pay at the door unless it's a bigger name.
Honestly just wander around Koenji late afternoon and you'll find stuff. The whole neighborhood is packed with tiny live houses like 20000 Den Den or High that book punk and hardcore almost every night. Most shows start around 6 or 7pm and cost like 2000-3000 yen at the door, cash only btw. For hiphop check out Contact in Shibuya, it's a small basement club that does a lot of local rap showcases on weeknights. Grab a copy of Tokyo Gig Guide from Tower Records or any indie record shop, it's a free monthly pamphlet with all the small venue listings in japanese but the dates and venue names are easy enough to read
Check out Three in Shimokitazawa, it's a tiny basement spot that does a lot of hardcore and punk shows. You can find their schedule posted on the door or pick up a flyer inside a record shop like Disk Union in Shibuya. For rap and hiphop, Club Asia in Shibuya has smaller rooms upstairs from the main floor that book local acts most nights. Most of these places don't have English websites so your best bet is to just show up and ask the staff what's coming up.
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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