Create meetup in Tokyochevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
want to meet at fmd_good Wildlife Reserve
want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
explore Tokyo Guides
bar_chart Trends in Tokyo
Lost in Lawson Translation
Yeah that three-floor Lawson is a trip. The trick isn't the menu at all, it's that the hot food counter on the first floor has a separate little ticket machine near the register. You grab a ticket for karaage or korokke, hand it to the staff, and they make it fresh. Saves you the whole pointing-at-pictures dance. For the regular shelves, just look at the plastic food samples above each section. They're usually spot-on and way faster than trying to read anything.
the real move at that specific lawson is to use the self-checkout kiosks on the second floor. they have a full english toggle and you can scan items yourself so no awkward register interaction. also the fried chicken counter on the ground floor has a numbered ticket system, just grab a ticket from the machine near the hot case and hand it over. saves u from trying to pronounce "karaage" with confidence
honestly, the trick isnt the translation app, its knowing the floor layout. the first floor is mostly drinks and the hot food case, second floor is snacks and instant noodles, third floor is frozen stuff and household goods. so if you want onigiri you should just stick to the first floor, theres a dedicated shelf near the register area. also most of the items have little numbers on the menu board by the register, you can just point at the number instead of the picture. saves u the awkward finger hovering
load 2 more replies
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.