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So, what's the deal with Japanese auctions? I'm curious about how they work.
The third reply is right about the membership stuff, but there's a way around it for someone just starting out. A few auction houses in Tokyo let you register as a "general visitor" for certain days, usually midweek and you pay a small entry fee like 500 yen. I'd check the schedule at JAA in Yotsuya, they have electronics and surplus auctions every Tuesday that are pretty open to new faces.
The real challenge isn't getting in, it's knowing what things actually sell for versus what they list at. I've watched new people overpay by 30% on camera gear because they got caught up in the rhythm. If you want to grab a coffee, there's a quiet Tully's on the south side of Sakurashinmachi station that's good for talking business without noise. Bring a list of what categories you're looking at and I can point you to the better houses for each one.
Japanese auctions are fascinating! They can be incredibly competitive, especially for popular items. Finding someone to go with you for your first few would be a great idea, especially to learn the nuances of bidding and the unspoken rules. Good luck with your business venture! A coffee sounds like a great way to learn.
for car auctions you'll need a membership with the auction house or go through a dealer, USS is the big one in tokyo but it's way out in ariake. electronics auctions are more accessible though, a lot of the small ones run out of otemachi or akihabara on weekday mornings. honestly your best bet for business advice is finding a local keiretsu or small biz meetup near sakurashinmachi rather than one-off coffee chats, the auction scenes are pretty tight-lipped with outsiders
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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.