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Shinjuku Family Mart Mystery
I know that Family Mart well, it's right by the Shinjuku Ward Office. I've grabbed a Midnight Moon maybe three times over the last two years and it's never the same. The trick isn't the time, it's the day. The overnight manager, a middle-aged guy with a buzz cut, only makes them on days when the truck brings in unusual produce. Tuesdays and Thursdays seem to be his creative nights.
If you're set on hunting it down, skip the 5am rush and go at 3am instead. That's when he starts prepping, and if you're polite and buy a coffee, he might wave you over when it's fresh out of the wrapper. The konbini is dead quiet at that hour, just the hum of the fridges and a few night owls. The onigiri itself is hit or miss, but the experience of being the only person in Tokyo at that hour who knows exactly what's about to happen is worth the trip.
I've actually had the Midnight Moon onigiri a couple times. It's real, but the hype is way overblown. The flavor changes daily based on whatever leftover ingredients the overnight staff has, so you might get something amazing or just weird. I had one that was basically just egg salad and furikake, nothing special.
If you really want to try it, don't camp out. Just swing by around 5:15am on a weekday, that's when the truck comes for that store specifically. The staff at that Family Mart are pretty chill about it if you're polite, but don't ask them when it's coming out because they'll just shrug at you.
oh man, the midnight moon thing. i've actually seen that. it's not a staff only thing, it's just stupid limited. they get like maybe 5 a day and they're gone by 6am. the flavor changes based on what the guy in the back feels like making with leftover ingredients from the day before. i snagged one that was like a spicy tuna with pickled plum and it was honestly fire but not worth camping out for hours. if you're there at 5:30 you'll prob catch em. just don't be that person blocking the slurping ramen stand next door.
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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.