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want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Tokyo's Secret Gardens?
honestly the best hidden spot is the little moss garden behind the tokyo metropolitan government building's annex, not the main building. you gotta walk past the bus stop on the west side and there's this narrow alley between two concrete walls that opens up into a tiny courtyard with a single bench and some old maple trees. it's not on any map, even google maps ignores it, but it's perfect for escaping the shinjuku chaos for ten minutes
If you walk around the back side of the building, toward the south, there's a small, unmarked courtyard with a few benches and some nice shrubbery. Most people just stream out the front entrance and head straight for the station, so that little patch stays pretty quiet. Also, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building has a small garden on its north side, but it's not really advertised; you have to go down a short flight of stairs near the ground-level cafe to find it.
The northern side of the building has a small terrace garden on the second floor that connects to the plaza, but hardly anyone goes up there. It's got a few benches and some pine trees, and you get a different view of the skyscrapers without the crowds. I'd also suggest walking over to the Shinjuku Central Park, it's a five minute stroll west and has a koi pond with turtles that locals use for lunch breaks. Most tourists just hit the observation deck and leave, so both spots stay pretty empty.
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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.