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want to meet at fmd_good Funland
want to meet at fmd_good Nature Park
want to meet at fmd_good Corner Diner
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Shinjuku Banking Woes?
Don't stress too much about the paperwork chaos. Mizuho has those little numbered ticket machines, grab one for general banking and another for the foreign exchange counter if you're doing anything with currency. The staff at that branch deal with confused tourists daily, they've seen it all. One thing I'd add is to double check which floor you need, the Shinjuku Chuo branch has different services on different levels and the elevator buttons are only labeled in Japanese.
honestly the biggest hidden trap at that branch is the atm area during lunch. everyone lines up for the human tellers but the machines are way faster for basic stuff like deposits or withdrawals. if you're doing anything with a passbook make sure you bring it, they get weird if you don't have it for certain transactions. also theres a konbini like a 2 minute walk south on yasukuni-dori if you need to kill time or decompress after
The Shinjuku Chuo branch is right by the west exit, which means it gets a lot of the commuter rush. If you show up right at 9am when they open, you'll avoid the worst of the lunch crowd and salarymen. Bring your own pen for the forms, the ones at the counter are always dried out or missing. The staff there are used to foreigners, but they appreciate it if you have your hanko ready if you registered one, otherwise a signature is fine. Just take a deep breath and write slowly, nobody is timing you.
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.
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