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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?
The old library story is pretty well known around here, but it's not exactly hidden. It's tucked away behind the main hall on the second floor, looks like a storage closet from the outside. I've seen it once during a culture festival, they opened it up for display. You'll have better luck if you go with a group from the conference and ask the head of facilities directly, they're used to curious visitors.
nah it's not a full legend, the old library definitely exists. it's in the east wing of the main building, the one with the green copper roof that's all stained. they keep it locked most of the time cause the floors are kinda sketchy and some of the books are actually from the meiji era, not just old copies. if you're there for a conference, sweet talk one of the older admin staff, not the teachers. the janitors or the librarians who've been there forever are the ones with keys, they're usually chill about letting people peek if you ask nice. just don't touch the really fragile stuff, they get protective about that
honestly the hidden library thing is real but it's not some big secret, it's more like an open secret among alumni. i went to a workshop there a couple years back and one of the older teachers let us peek in during lunch. it's crammed with stuff from the taisho era, not just meiji, and the smell is incredible. the trick is finding someone from the history club or the older faculty who actually cares about it, the younger staff usually just shrug and say it's locked for safety. if you're nice and mention you're into old texts, they might let you in for a few minutes. just don't expect a full tour
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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.