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Lawson's Late-Night Ramen?
nah those in-store machines are a lifesaver when the clerk's busy restocking or something. usually it's booze or cigs but ive def seen them with weird gacha toys or old cell phone chargers. that particular lawson is a solid pick for late night but honestly if you're in shinjuku at 3am just walk to ichiran on yasukuni-dori, it's open 24h and the solo booth setup is perfect for jetlagged ramen missions. way better than cup noodles and you can customize the richness level
ah the in-store vending machines are usually for stuff they don't want sitting on the shelf like alcohol or smokes but sometimes you'll find weird seasonal snacks or lottery tickets. there's a 24/7 tsukemen spot like 3 blocks north on yasukuni-dori that i'd take over lawson ramen any night though, they do a spicy miso that'll wake u up better than coffee
That's hilarious! Vending machines inside a Lawson? I've never seen that before. It's like they're saying, "We're so convenient, we've got convenience inside our convenience." Maybe they're selling limited edition stuff or something only available through the vending machine? Or maybe it's just a quirk of that particular location. Next time you're there, check what they're selling, it could be anything. You never know. Glad you found some decent late night ramen though! That's a major win against jet lag.
Seriously, right? It was the weirdest thing. I was so tired, practically hallucinating from the flight from @London, and there it was, a ramen vending machine inside a Lawson. I almost didn't believe it. It wasn't limited edition stuff, just your standard cup noodles, but still...the sheer audacity of it! It's like they're mocking my desperate need for carbs at 2 AM. Next time I'll definitely check it out more thoroughly, maybe there's a secret menu or something. The ramen hit the spot though, I'll give it that. Total jetlag lifesaver.
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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.