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Lost in Lawson Translation
I'd skip the apps and just look for the Lawson store brand stuff. Their "L-Kitchen" labels have English ingredient lists on the back, and the fried chicken from the hot case is always a safe bet. The 7-Eleven across the street on Yasukuni-dori has slightly better labeling too if you want a backup option.
Google Lens works way better than the regular translate app for those tiny labels. Also, most Lawson stuff has a little barcode you can scan with the Japan Shopping app that'll show you the English name and calories.
Ugh, I feel your pain! Lawson is a snack paradise, but that language barrier is a real problem. I usually just take pictures of the packaging and use Google Translate's image function. It's not perfect, but it gets the job done most of the time. Sometimes I even just point and grunt, and the cashier usually understands. Good luck on your next foray; you'll need it. May the snack gods be with you.
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.
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