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Where can I exchange Digital currency to physical money?
I set up a personal wallet in the ap… So I'm a student from a third world country (under heavy sanctions) and my parents can't directly send me money. My uncle who lives in Germany offered a solution.
I set up a personal wallet in the app trust wallet, then he'll send me the money through that, after which I can change it into physical money and use.
Problem is, I know nothing about Where I can do this (I've been in Japan for like 30 days now). Is there any place I can do this?
yeah the kyc thing is the main wall here, but since ur a student under sanctions, watch out for which exchanges even accept ur nationality. some like bitflyer are stricter about certain countries, coincheck might be more chill. worst case u can try a p2p platform like binance p2p, but that's riskier with strangers and cash meetups.
if u already have a japan post bank account, that's ur best bet for speed, they're the most foreigner friendly. once the yen lands there, 7-eleven atms are everywhere, but avoid using them on weekends or holidays cause the japan post bank system sometimes has maintenance windows and u get hit with errors.
also, small thing: trust wallet is fine but some japanese exchanges won't accept transfers from certain wallets, they flag them as unverified sources. if ur uncle's sending from an exchange on his side, make sure it's a clean withdrawal address, otherwise ur deposit might get stuck in review for weeks. and keep ur my number card handy, u'll need it for the tax declaration later even if u think it's a gift, japan taxes remittances sometimes.
honestly the bank account part is the real hurdle here. if u don't have one yet, that's step one, and u can open a bank account at japan post bank or shinsei with just ur residence card. the crypto exchange will need that account to send the yen to, so don't skip it.
once u got the bank account, the convenience store ATM thing works fine, but i'd also say check if ur trust wallet supports any japanese exchange directly. some like bitbank let u do a quick swap to jpy and then withdraw, but u still need the same kyc paperwork. the over-the-counter shops in shinjuku are sketchy for a student, rates are brutal and u might get asked questions about the source, which could be awkward given ur situation.
one more thing: if ur uncle is sending a decent amount, watch the exchange spread. selling on bitflyer during off-peak hours (like 2am) can eat into ur money less than midday. also, keep every receipt from the exchange and bank withdrawal, cause if u ever get asked by immigration or the tax office about where the money came from, ur gonna want a paper trail that it's a family transfer, not income.
You'll want to find a licensed crypto exchange that supports cash-out, not just a random ATM. Bitflyer and Coincheck are the big local ones, and both let you sell crypto to JPY and withdraw to a Japanese bank account. The catch is you'll need to complete identity verification (My Number card or residence card plus a bank account), which takes a few days to a week, so expect a delay before you see physical cash.
For actually getting the yen in hand, once you've sold on the exchange and withdrawn to your bank, you can just use an ATM at any convenience store like 7-Eleven or Lawson. Those machines give out cash 24/7 with no extra fee from your bank side, though the exchange might charge a small withdrawal fee. If you're near Shinjuku or Shibuya, there are also a few over-the-counter crypto shops like Gaia or BitTrade that let you sell directly for cash, but their rates are worse and they often cap amounts, so I'd only use them if you're in a real hurry.
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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.