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want to meet at fmd_good The Spot
want to meet at fmd_good Glaze
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Lost in Translation?
the real trick is going during their quiet hours, like right when they open at 9am or just before lunch around 11:30, otherwise you'll be stuck in a line of salarymen sending work documents. the international shipping form is available in english on the japan post website so you can pre-fill it on your phone and just copy it over at the counter, saves a lot of fumbling around. also that area is a total dead zone for food options unless you want to walk 10 minutes to the combini near shinjuku station, so grab a snack before you go
tbh the yamato/sagawa counters are a solid rec, but if you're set on using the post office itself just know they make you use their own boxes for international shipping - you cant just bring your own. that caught me off guard once and i had to run to a convenience store for tape and repack everything. also the tracking code they give you starts with "r" for registered mail, which is actually pretty reliable once it leaves japan, just slow to update in the first few days
ngl that post office is tucked away in a weird spot, it's behind the tokyo opera city tower so easy to miss if you're not looking. staff there are hit or miss with english, but they've got a little info kiosk with laminated sheets for international shipping that helps bridge the gap. biggest tip is to use the yamato or sapraca counters for tracking if you can, japan post's online tracker is honestly garbage compared to them. customs declaration is the real pain point - write "used personal items" or "gifts" depending on what's inside, and keep the value under 10,000 yen to avoid extra taxes on the berlin end. the building itself has this brutalist concrete vibe that's actually pretty photogenic if you're into that, just don't expect the staff to chat about it lol
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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.