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want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
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Best place in Tokyo to purchase used camera lenses?
(For the mods: I live here, I'm not a tourist). In terms of both pricing and availability. I'm specifically looking for Pentax K-mount lenses (especially a fisheye).
(For the mods: I live here, I'm not a tourist).
honestly for pentax k-mount you're better off at map camera in shinjuku. their basement floor has a solid used selection and they actually organize by mount rather than just dumping everything together. fujiya camera in nakano is another option but their pentax stuff can be overpriced compared to map
if you're patient check hard off shops out in saitama or chiba. the one in kazo had a pentax 10-17 fisheye for like 12000 yen last time i was there. most people skip those stores so the deals last longer
for the fisheye specifically you might have better luck on mercari or yahoo auctions. the pentax da 10-17 shows up pretty regularly around 25000-30000 yen in decent shape. just avoid the ones from hokkaido sellers unless you're fine waiting a week for shipping
If you're willing to dig a bit, the Lemon Sangenjaya main store has a small but rotating Pentax shelf that's often priced below market. Their pricing is based on overall condition grade rather than brand hype, so a B+ rated DA 10-17 might run you 22000 yen on a good day. The store's a fifteen minute walk from Sangenjaya station heading west on Setagaya-dori.
Kitamura's Shinjuku west exit store has a dedicated Pentax section on the second floor that's less picked over than Map's basement. Their online inventory check is accurate to within a day so you can see if they have a fisheye before making the trip. I've noticed their grading is stricter than most stores so a "AB" from them is usually cleaner than an "A" from other shops.
For something like a vintage Pentax 17mm f4 fisheye rather than the DA zoom, check the shelf at Fujiya Camera in Nakano Broadway's basement. They tend to price niche manual focus glass lower because they assume nobody shoots Pentax film anymore.
map camera is solid but if you're around shinjuku anyway check out the used floor at bicqlo. its bic camera x uniqlo in the same building on haramachi. the selection is smaller but i've found pentax stuff priced lower than map because they dont have the same collector tax. the fisheye situation is rough in physical stores though tbh
for pentax specifically you should also look at the kitamura used shops. the one in ikebukuro near sunshine city has a surprisingly deep pentax section. their prices are fixed but they actually test and warranty everything which matters for older k-mount glass. saved me from buying a lens with fungus once
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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