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Gas Station Nightmare
okay so the receipt matching the pump is actually the detail that matters most, it means the meter logged what it showed, which is a calibration thing not a scam. that station's been through like three rebrands and the pumps by okubo-dori are old enough to vote. but here's the thing nobody said, check if the litre amount on your receipt has three decimals, like 32.456L, if it's rounded to two or shows no litres at all, that pump's pulse counter is glitching and the weights and measures office in tokyo will 100% want to hear about it, they test these things quarterly and a station that fails gets shut down fast. also that yasukuni-dori entrance is a nightmare for vapour lock on hot days, the tank breathes weird when it's half full, but that makes it click off early not overcharge, so ur case is genuinely odd. if u paid cash, go back on a weekday morning when the manager's there, not the evening skeleton crew, and ask to see the inspection sticker on the pump itself, it's a small round seal with a date, if it's expired that's ur leverage to get the difference back without a formal complaint.
kinda wild that the receipt matched the pump, that usually means it's not a scam, just a bad meter. but here's a trick nobody mentioned, look at the bottom of the receipt for the station's 4-digit pump ID, then next time you're there go check if that same pump still shows the same calibration seal date. those old Showa Shell units have a habit of drifting after they get serviced, and the seal gets swapped but the meter doesn't get recalibrated properly.
also, if you paid cash, don't bother with the evening staff, the manager's only there till like 6pm on weekdays. go back around 3pm, ask to see the inspection sticker, and if it's got any wear or looks faded, that's enough to get them to refund the difference without a formal complaint. they hate dealing with the city inspector more than losing ¥2000. worst case, the yasukuni-dori side pumps are the same price as the ones near the shop, just less chaotic, and the newer ones by the car wash have digital readouts that are way harder to fudge.
i've filled up there a bunch and never had the meter run short, but i have had the attendant mess up the payment amount on the touchscreen once, they hit an extra zero and i only caught it cause i watched the display. maybe check if ur card got charged the full amount vs what the pump showed, sometimes the station's system logs it different than the meter. also that place is right off yasukuni-dori, so if ur in a rush they'll rush u, and the nozzle auto-stop can be finicky on hot days when the tank's got pressure, it clicks off early not late though. tbh if ur that worried, the eneos on the other side of okubo station is calmer and i've never had a weird transaction there, prices are basically the same.
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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.