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want to meet at fmd_good Market Square
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Shinjuku's Hidden Stage?
fwiw theres a small chance you might be thinking of "the pocket" - thats what some of the old security guards call the little space on the 2nd floor landing, not the 3rd floor. its literally just a wide hallway they used to set up a tiny stage for acoustic sets during the building's early days in the late 80s. i talked to one of the maintenance guys once who said they stopped using it around 2005 after a fire safety complaint. nothing to see now but a faded poster of a band called "the moles" still taped to the wall near the fire extinguisher
The 3rd floor room people are talking about was called "Studio Cube" but it's been converted into a green room and storage for the main hall. I live in Sendagaya and walked past there during construction a few years ago, saw them hauling out old sound panels. If you want a real hidden stage nearby, walk five minutes to Shinjuku Pit Inn in the basement of the Sumitomo building. It's been there since the 70s and still hosts jazz shows every night for about 3000 yen at the door.
oh interesting, i've actually heard that same rumor but from a different angle. a friend who works events there told me the 3rd floor space was originally built as a rehearsal room for a kabuki troupe that never ended up using it, so the owners just let bands rent it out on the down low. no idea if that's true but it's a fun story to tell while you're hunting for it
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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.