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want to meet at fmd_good Market Deli
want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
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Lost in Translation at Seven Eleven?
The melon pan thing is a classic trap. Most konbini bakeries have them on a shelf, not behind the counter, so you can just grab one and bring it to the register. For hot food like fried chicken or those little steam buns, point at the specific square on the display case and say "kore o kudasai" (this one please). If you're set on using a phone, the Papago app handles Japanese menus better than Google Translate in my experience, especially for handwritten signs. Also heads up, the Daiwa Roynet breakfast buffet is actually pretty solid for 1,500 yen and will save you from another Pocky incident.
since you're at nishi-shinjuku, the real pro move is the 7-Eleven self-checkout kiosk near the drinks wall. most of the newer ones have a touchscreen where u can switch to english and scan everything yourself, including hot food if u pick it from the warmer first. no clerk interaction at all. also the daiwa roynet is literally across the street from the shinjuku post office which has a lawson with a Loppi machine, that thing has an english mode for ordering fried chicken and ice cream and u just take the ticket to the register. way less stressful than guessing at menus
honestly the best move is to just use the 7-Eleven app itself, it has an english mode now and u can order ahead for pickup at the counter. saves u from the awkward pointing dance entirely. also for melon pan specifically, it's always in the bread aisle near the drinks, not something u order from the staff. grab it yourself and u r golden. the app also shows what's in stock at your specific store so u wont end up with pocky again
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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.