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Shinjuku Convenience Store Enigma
That Family Mart sits right on the edge of the old "Omoide Yokocho" alley network before it got cleaned up for the Olympics. The salaryman was probably one of the guys who still works in the tiny yakitori joints back there, taking a break between shifts or waiting for his boss to finish up. The whole area around Shinjuku Gyoen has this strange buffer zone between the tourist crowds and the actual nightlife districts, so you get people in limbo there. If you want to see the real late-night weirdness, head to the 7-Eleven on the west side of the station near the Odakyu Line entrance, that one has a dedicated corner for people filling out love hotel registration forms.
ngl you prob saw one of the undercover cops they post around that area. the Metropolitan Police Department has a few plainclothes units that stake out Family Marts near the love hotel blocks, especially the ones with good sightlines to the street. Ive got a buddy who works night shifts at a different konbini and he says they rotate between a few stores including that one near the park. the salaryman thing is a classic cover, they sit there with a magazine or a phone for hours watching who goes into the hotels. the real weirdos are the ones who buy nothing but stand outside pretending to smoke, those are the guys you wanna avoid eye contact with.
You hit on something real. That specific Family Mart near Shinjuku Gyoen gets a weird crowd after midnight because it's one of the few 24-hour spots between the park and the love hotel district. The stressed salaryman was probably killing time before his last train or waiting for a cheap "rest" rate at one of the hotels on the side streets. I've noticed the staff there are also more tired and less chatty than the ones near Shinjuku Station proper, which makes the whole place feel colder. If you want a less creepy late-night snack run, walk five minutes east to the 7-Eleven on Meiji Dori near the Yotsuya exit, the lighting is warmer and there's usually a taxi stand right outside.
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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.