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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Foreigner-friendly music bars?
honestly just skip Ikebukuro for music bars, it's mostly chain izakayas with karaoke machines. try Shimokitazawa instead, loads of tiny live houses where nobody cares about ur Japanese level. Three is a good one, 500 yen cover and they do everything from jazz to punk. if u really wanna stay north, head to Koenji, check out 20000 Den Den or Jam, both super chill and full of regulars who'll just nod along to whatever music's playing
fwiw Shinjuku's Golden Gai has a few music bars that fit what you're looking for. Bar Big Daddy is run by an older guy who's been hosting travelers for decades, he's used to broken Japanese and will prob just hand u a sake and point at the guitar on the wall. cover's like 800 yen with one drink, gets crowded after 10pm but the vibe stays chill. just avoid the louder themed bars on the main strip and stick to the second floor spots
shibuya's underrated for this tbh. try Rock Bar Mother on the backstreets near the love hotel hill, it's tiny and grungy with a great vinyl collection. cover's 800 yen, the owner lets you pick records if you ask nicely and he's super patient with broken japanese. gets smoky after midnight but the crowd's always mixed locals and travelers, nobody cares about language as long as you're into the music
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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.