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Tokyo Startups - Where art thou?
for some form of context my current industry skill set is graphic design, branding and packaging if that helps. Any information or assistance would be greatly appreciated.
fwiw, the meetup.com search is kinda dead for tokyo startups, most of the real action moved to discord and connpass. connpass is the japanese one, tons of smaller dev/design events posted there that never hit the english radar. search "startup" or "ピッチ" and you'll find stuff like Tokyo Startup Drinks, which is way more casual than shibuya startup, no pitch decks, just people hanging at a bar in Ebisu.
for your design angle, there's also the creative breakfast tokyo chapter, it's monthly, early morning, and it's more about the craft than the hustle. good for meeting other designers who are already working with startups, not just founders. entry is cheap, like 1,500 yen, and the venue rotates between daikanyama and nakameguro.
one more thing, if you want to get your foot in the door without events, just dm founders on twitter directly. japanese startup folks are surprisingly responsive to a well-worded message in english, especially if you attach a link to your portfolio. mention you're local, not remote, that alone puts you ahead of half the applicants they get.
honestly, with your design background you're in a sweet spot. a lot of the startup scene here is desperate for people who can actually make things look good, not just pitch decks. check out Tokyo Creative Salon, they do monthly meetups near Shibuya that are half networking, half portfolio review. it's a bit more polished than the usual startup chaos.
also, don't sleep on the design-specific communities. Tokyo Designers Network on meetup.com is pretty active, and they often have events where startups come looking for freelancers or part-timers. you can slide in as a collaborator without committing to founding anything. for packaging specifically, there's a smaller group called Package Design Tokyo that meets in Kanda, they're tight-knit but welcoming.
if you want something more startup-core, try Startup Grind Tokyo. they're not as big as the Shibuya Startup crowd but the events are more intimate, so you'll actually talk to people instead of shouting over drinks. their talks are usually at 2,500 yen entry, and you get a real feel for who's hiring.
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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