Renaissance listening bar in koenji?

oh man renaissance has been closed for a few years now, i walked past it during covid and it was shuttered. the instagram prob got deleted when they shut down. if you're after that same listening bar energy in koenji, check out Bar Martha on the north side, it's a tiny basement spot with a killer jazz collection and the owner really knows his stuff. also there's a new place called Record & Beer that opened last year near the station, they do vinyl nights on fridays and the sound system is surprisingly good for such a small spot

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It's definitely still operating, I was there last month on a Friday night and it was busy but not packed. They don't really maintain the Instagram anymore, the last post was from 2023 I think. If you're heading there, check their Google Maps listing for the current hours, they've been doing more pop-up events than regular weekly schedules lately. Koenji has a few other spots with that same relaxed listening vibe like Bar Martha if Renaissance doesn't work out.

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honestly i think it's been closed for a while now. that link is from 2015 and koenji's bar scene has changed a lot since then. if you want a similar vibe, try Bassic on the main street near the station, they do late night listening sets with a solid vinyl collection. or check out Jam Bar a few blocks north, it's more intimate but the owner curates the playlist real carefully

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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

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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.

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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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