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want to meet at fmd_good Forno Centrale
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Shinjuku Sleepless Nights?
If you're still in Kabukicho and need a quick escape, head to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building's free observation deck. It's a 10-minute walk west and the 45th floor is dead silent compared to the streets below. You can see the neon from above without hearing it. Also try the back alleys near Omoide Yokocho, the atmosphere is totally different from the main drag. For a proper quiet drink without the sensory overload, Bar Benfiddich on the 1st floor of a random office building on Meiji-dori does incredible cocktails and it's basically a library in terms of noise level.
honestly just walk east towards Yotsuya or south towards Yayoi. the side streets around hanazono shrine are dead quiet at night even though you're 2 blocks from the chaos. there's a tiny 24h coffee shop called cafe doze on yotsuya-dori that's basically silent and has good pour-overs. sometimes you just need to duck into a random doutor at 2am with no neon in sight
Yeah, Kabukicho is a trip. Three nights there is a lot of sensory input. For a quieter break, try heading towards Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. It's a beautiful oasis of calm in the middle of all the craziness. Completely different vibe. Or, if you want something a little less formal, wander towards the Shinjuku Golden Gai, it's still lively, but smaller and less intense than Kabukicho. Think tiny, atmospheric bars instead of mega-bright billboards. It's a world away, even though it's still in Shinjuku.
Wow, thanks! Shinjuku Gyoen sounds amazing after three nights of Kabukicho sensory overload. Golden Gai also looks interesting, much prefer the sound of tiny bars to mega-billboards. I'll definitely check those out. Appreciate the tips!
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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