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want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Commercial real estate agent?
Colliers and JLL are solid if your budget clears a few billion yen, but if you're buying a smaller sharehouse or guesthouse, you might be better off with a mid-size broker like Mitsui Fudosan's investment arm or even a local shop in Taito-ku. A lot of those smaller agents have English-speaking staff now, mostly because they've dealt with Airbnb investors since 2016. Just be aware that many hospitality properties here are sold as "godo kaisha" or leasehold rather than freehold, so ask upfront about the land ownership structure. For actual listings, the REINS database is where everything flows through, but you'll need an agent to access it, and some smaller brokers will translate the key terms for you if you ask nicely.
check the japan real estate institute (jrei) or the tokyo commercial board, they list licensed agents who handle hospitality deals. for english support, try colliers or jll tokyo, they have dedicated teams for this. also, if you're not set on central wards, look at shitamachi areas like asakusa or sumida, cheaper per sqm and more sharehouse stock, agents there are used to foreign buyers too.
honestly skip the big names if ur not dropping 3b yen. the local guys near ueno or okachimachi know the hotel stock way better, lots of those old ryokan conversions never hit the open market. try ken corporation, they're mid-size and have a few english speakers, they did a guesthouse deal in minowa last year for a client of mine. also worth asking the agent about the "kourisho" stuff, the building code stuff for shared kitchens can kill a deal if the property's old. and fyi, a lot of these places are sold with the furniture included, so ask for the inventory list before u even visit, saves u a headache later.
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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.