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Shinjuku Banking Woes?
honestly the mizuho shinjuku chuo branch is a beast but theres a trick. the basement level entrance near the yodobashi camera side is way less hectic than the main street one, less of a bottleneck. also if you just need to do the transaction without a lot of talking, the ATMs for international stuff are in the back corner on the second floor, not the ground floor madness. aim for like 10:30am after the morning rush settles but before the lunch crowd hits, youll be fine
Go early, like REALLY early. Before the 9-5 grind even thinks about starting. Think 8am, maybe even earlier if you're feeling brave. The lines will be shorter, the staff less stressed, and you'll be in and out before the midday madness begins. Also, check their website, some banks have online appointment systems that might save your sanity. Think of it as conquering Mount Everest before the base camp fills up. Good luck!
If you're doing a significant transaction, see if you can book a consultation slot online first, the English page on their site has a reservation system that lets you skip the general queue. Also, the third floor is usually quieter than the ground floor for the actual teller windows, just take the stairs in the back.
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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.