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Shinjuku's Hidden Stage?
the "secret stage" thing might be a garbled version of what goes on at Shinjuku Pit Inn, which is a legit famous jazz basement but that's a 10 min walk south near the Marui department store. Belle Salle itself is just a boring conference box, no hidden rooms worth hunting for.
if you want something actually obscure in that area, there's a tiny theater space called "Theater Sunmall" tucked inside the Shinjuku Sunmall shopping arcade, it's literally behind a ramen shop on the second floor. they do one-off performances and indie plays, no real online presence, you just have to walk past and see if their sign is lit up.
I've actually been to a few events at Belle Salle and I think the confusion comes from the basement level. There's a small multi-purpose room down there that's sometimes used for after-parties or receptions, but it's not a dedicated performance space. It's more of a blank room they can partition off, and it's usually booked through the same system as the main halls.
If you're after that hidden venue vibe in Shinjuku, skip Belle Salle and walk over to Golden Gai. There's a tiny live house called "Aoi Heya" that fits three rows of chairs and a single spotlight. No online tickets, you just show up and hope there's room.
honestly i think the "hidden stage" thing is a bit overblown. Belle Salle is mostly a conference center so they have a few smaller breakout rooms but nothing that operates like a speakeasy or a regular performance space. the closest thing to what you're describing would prob be something like Pit Inn or a tiny venue in Yotsuya or Shimokitazawa, not in a Belle Salle building.
if you want actual intimate shows near Shinjuku check out Naked Loft or maybe the basement of Marui Annex, they do small gigs and comedy nights. but that specific venue? pretty sure it's a myth or a mix-up with a different building nearby
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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.