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Do any movie theaters have special screenings for people with hearing loss?
Japanese cinemas don't generally show Japanese subtitles on mainstream releases, since the audio is already in Japanese. But a few places cater to deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers with "baryafuri" (barrier-free) screenings, which include Japanese subtitles and audio description. Uplink in Shibuya and Kichijoji are small indie theaters that regularly program these, and some TOHO Cinemas branches do too, often on weekday mornings. You'd still be reading Japanese subs rather than hearing the dialogue, but if your reading level is better than your listening, that could actually work in your favor.
Another angle: check for screenings of foreign films with Japanese subtitles, those are common, but you'd be reading Japanese while hearing English or other languages. For a true crutch, some theaters in Tokyo have shown films with English subtitles during international film festivals, like TIFF Tokyo in late October or the EU Film Festival in spring. Those are one-off events though, not a steady weekly option.
The hearing-assistance route is already covered, so here's a different one: if your reading is solid, skip the big chains and look at single-screen theaters that show classic Japanese films with what they call "sabun" (Japanese subtitle) screenings. Places like Laputa Asagaya and the National Film Archive in Kyobashi regularly show older movies with subs, and those tend to be slower-paced dialogue, much easier to follow than a modern action film. The Archive is also dirt cheap, like 500 yen per screening, and they have English program notes at the desk.
Another practical thing is to check the "eigakan.org" site in English, it aggregates showtimes across Tokyo and lets you filter by "Japanese subtitles" as a tag. That pulls up both the barrier-free stuff and the random one-off subbed screenings, so you can plan a week ahead instead of hunting each theater's site. Your semester starts in 2025, but the film calendar is pretty stable, so you can get a feel for it before you land.
fwiw if your reading speed is decent, the barrier-free screenings are prob your best bet, but they're not super common so you gotta check each theater's schedule week by week. TOHO Cinemas has a dedicated page for "baryafuri" showtimes, and Uplink's site lists them too, but the indie ones often sell out fast since they're small rooms.
another thing nobody mentioned: some theaters do "English subtitle" screenings of Japanese films occasionally, especially for tourists. Shinjuku Piccadilly and Toho Cinemas Roppongi have done this for anime or big releases, but it's random and not advertised far in advance. if you're into anime, check the listings for "English subs" specifically, it's a different tag from the regular Japanese sub screenings.
honestly, your best steady move might be to just go to the foreign film screenings with Japanese subs, like the user above said, since those are daily at theaters like Bunkamura or Human Trust Cinema. you'll hear English or whatever and read the JP subs, which is way easier than trying to follow Japanese dialogue. plus those theaters are cozy and cheap on Tuesdays, like 1100 yen.
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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.