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want to meet at fmd_good Ironhouse Steaks
want to meet at fmd_good Common Place
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Tokyo's Hidden Staircase?
oh i know exactly the spot you mean. that staircase is part of the original plaza design from when the building was completed in 1991, not a leftover. the architect kenzo tange wanted that sudden drop to create a sense of discovery, a little breathing room between that massive tower and the street level. it leads down to the shinjuku chuo park, which used to be the site of the old yotsuya prison before the war, so the whole area has that layered history vibe. if you go back, check out the small waterfall feature at the bottom, it's supposed to drown out the traffic noise.
the park itself used to be the yotsuya prison before ww2, so that staircase kind of feels like a portal between two eras right? there's a little plaque near the bottom that mentions it but it's in japanese only, talked to a retired guard there once who said the stairs were designed to be "invisible" on purpose so businessmen would stumble onto the park and decompress. if you go back around sunset the light hits the concrete angles just right and it looks like a different building entirely
huh never knew it was part of the original design, that's cool. i've always thought that staircase felt like a secret escape hatch from the chaos of shinjuku. if you're into hidden spots around there, there's a tiny ramen shop tucked under the train tracks a few blocks east, no sign in english, just a red curtain. locals call it the "ghost bowl" spot, no idea why but the broth is insane.
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.
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