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want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
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Shinjuku's Hidden Sound?
belle salle ground is really just a mid-size hall in the sumitomo building, the "amazing acoustics" rep comes mostly from the classical shows they book there. unless there's an event you can't just walk in and listen, it's locked between setups. if you want to hear what the room does, check their calendar for a rehearsal or a soundcheck day and hang around the 1F lobby, you'll catch some bleed through the doors. otherwise grab coffee at the tully's on the B1 concourse and just enjoy the building, the sound thing is kinda overhyped tbh
honestly the sound thing at Belle Salle is more about the room being dead quiet than any acoustic magic. its a conference hall first, so the ceiling panels and carpet eat reflections, which is why unamplified stuff sounds clean in there.
if ur already going for the conference, just pay attention during the plenary sessions before the PA gets cranked. early morning, doors open, few people inside, you'll hear how dry it is. thats the actual character of the space.
for coffee, skip Tullys and walk 5 min to the Shinjuku Nomura Building basement, there's a kissaten down there that's way quieter. better spot to decompress between sessions.
Soundchecks usually happen the morning of a show, so stalk the calendar for a concert day and swing by early.
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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.