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Shinjuku Banking Woes?
honestly the shinjuku branch is a special kind of hell for anything over a standard deposit. if you've got that kind of cash though, hit up the "premier" counter on the second floor near the elevators, it's not super obvious but they handle high value stuff and the wait is usually zero. i did a similar size deposit there last year and was done in like 10 minutes, the teller even offered me tea which felt surreal given the chaos downstairs. just bring your ID and maybe a copy of the source docs so they don't give you the third degree about anti-money laundering stuff.
Oof, that sounds brutal. Shinjuku's always a zoo, especially around those big banks. No, they don't really have a "VIP" line for massive deposits, unfortunately. Your best bet next time is to maybe call ahead and see if they can give you a rough estimate on wait times, or even schedule an appointment. Or... consider using a different branch entirely, maybe one in a less central area? It'll probably be quieter. That whole experience sounds less than ideal.
Yeah, the Shinjuku main branch is brutal for walk-ins, especially midday. If you're dealing with a check that size, skip the regular counters entirely and go straight to the "business counter" on the third floor, it's tucked behind the ATM area and they handle large transactions without the queue. They'll ask for your residence card and might want a brief explanation of where the check came from, but you'll be out before the people downstairs have even taken a number. I usually go to the Shinjuku West exit branch instead, it's smaller but the wait is almost never more than five minutes and the staff are less frazzled.
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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.