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Shinjuku Banking Woes?
I've done transfers through that Shinjuku branch a few times. The trick is to bring a hanko if you have one, even though they'll usually accept a signature these days. Fill out the forms in Japanese as much as you can, the staff at the international desk on the second floor appreciate the effort and it speeds things up. If your transfer is over a certain amount, they might need to call their compliance department, so block off at least an hour and a half.
the shinjuku branch is decent but honestly, if you can swing it hit up the smaller bank near yotsuya-sanchome instead. way less crowded and the manager there spent like 3 years in singapore so his english is solid. bring your own pen too they only have those tiny ones chained to the desk and filling out those forms with them is torture lol. worst case scenario just keep saying "sumimasen" and point at the form, they've seen it all before
Head to the Shinjuku branch around 10:30am if you can, right after the morning rush but before the lunch crowd hits. The staff at the international counter near the south entrance are generally more used to dealing with foreigners, and they keep a stack of the common transfer forms in English if you ask. Bring your residence card and a copy of your "Certificate of Residence" from the ward office, because they always ask for it even if you've brought other ID. And honestly, just be patient with the process, it's slow but it will get done.
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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.