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Seven Eleven Wonders?
u might be overthinking it tbh. that seven eleven is solid but the truly weird stuff is the small stuff, like the way the clerk memorizes the 11pm regulars. i've seen the same guy buy one strong zero and a pack of gum every night for two weeks, never says a word, just nods. one night he dropped his wallet and a random drunk guy picked it up, handed it back, and they both bowed like it was a business deal. no drama, just quiet ritual. that's the real tokyo for u. go on a rainy tuesday, the weirdos get real chatty when the weather's bad
ngl that store's got layers. the real hidden gem is the little parking lot behind it around 1am. i've seen a guy in full yakuza-style tattoos just eating a pudding cup on the curb while his driver waited, not a word said. another time some tourist tried to film the vending machines and a security guard just stood in front of the camera, deadpan, until they left. also the staff there have this unspoken rule, if u nod at them while buying a strong zero, they'll give u the warmer can from the back. the ramen deals are fine but the lot's where the silent movie plays. go on a sunday night, the drunks are asleep and the real weirdos come out.
I'd skip the stories about the regulars and just watch the taxis pull up out front. That corner is a drop-off zone for people who can't quite make it home, and the real show is the negotiation between the driver and the passenger over whether they'll go inside or not. I saw a woman in a full kimono, hair still perfect, argue with a cabbie for five minutes about whether she was too drunk to walk the last block, until the cabbie finally got out, bought her a bottle of water, and drove off without taking her fare. The clerk watched the whole thing through the window and didn't even react.
The 11am ramen line is real, but if you want the weirdest logistics, go around 2pm on a weekend. That's when the tourists who've been walking all day stumble in with their luggage, and the staff have this unspoken system where they'll hold a suitcase behind the counter if you're buying more than three items. I've seen a guy leave his entire rolling bag with them while he ate a famichiki and used their bathroom, and when he came back, the clerk just slid it out like it was a coat check. That trust is weirder than any drunk salaryman, honestly.
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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.