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Lawson 3F Mystery
I've actually been up there. It's a tiny members-only jazz bar called "Swing Time." No sign, no street entrance, just that staircase. The owner is this retired musician who's been running it for maybe 25 years. Drinks are cheap for Shinjuku, like 500 yen for a whiskey soda, and he'll put on whatever vinyl you ask for if he's got it. You just have to knock and wait, he'll buzz you in if there's room.
huh thats funny i always thought that staircase was just storage but my coworker told me it actually leads to a tiny members-only bar called "kage" that doesnt even have a sign outside. apparently its been there for like 20 years and the owner is this super old guy who only opens at 9pm. never been myself but i heard they serve really strong highballs for like 400 yen and theres only like 8 seats so you gotta be lucky to get in
oh man i know exactly that lawson. that staircase goes up to a small karaoke place called "utahime" or something like that. its super old school, prob been there since the 90s. i went once with a friend who lived in the area, the rooms are tiny and the machine is ancient but its dirt cheap, like 500 yen for an hour on weekdays. definitely not a portal to another dimension unless you count the dimension of bad fluorescent lighting and stale cigarette smell
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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.