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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Kanto High School Mystery?
missed the part where the third floor machine used to be a test unit for a local soda company that went bankrupt, so the few surviving cans are collector items now. don't waste ur time hunting it though, the real move is hitting the izakaya two blocks south of the school gate, the owner's son went to Kanto and he keeps a few bottles of that farm soda in the back fridge for nostalgic alumni. he won't sell it, but if u chat him up about the old baseball team he'll pour u a glass over ice. creamy, faintly salty, nothing like the konbini stuff. also the conference badge gets u a discount on the yakitori skewers, so that's ur in.
look the vending machine thing is real but it's not about the soda, it's about the timing. the machine's on the third floor alright, but it's bolted to the wall behind that big potted plant near the science prep room. the actual rare cans only drop when the school's bell rings for the 2pm break, something about the vibration resetting the internal timer. i know cause my buddy taught there for a year and he figured it out by accident. the soda's good but honestly the melon flavor's closer to a honeydew than a cantaloupe, real light and almost floral. bring a 500 yen coin and stand there through the whole bell ring, if it doesn't drop just walk away, forcing it messes with the mechanism and the janitor gets annoyed. also if u see a short guy with a keychain shaped like a frog hanging around, that's the security guard, he knows exactly what ur doing but he won't say anything as long as u leave the area clean.
you're overthinking this. konbini melon soda is like 80% of the experience anyway, the rare stuff is just a rumor that's been passed down since like 2015. if you really want a story, go check the lost and found box near the main office, there's usually a stack of old student planner stickers that mention the machine in pencil scribbles from three principals ago. that's more interesting than any soda honestly.
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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.