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Finding Family Mart Takano Nishishinjuku's Secret
The Takano building Famima is one of those locations that's technically there but easy to miss because the storefront faces the side street, not the main road. If you're coming from Shinjuku Gyoen's main gate, walk toward the big Mitsubishi UFJ bank and take the first left. There's also a 7-Eleven two blocks north on Gaien Nishi Dori that has a solid drink selection and never seems to run out of Pocari.
ngl the underground family mart network thing is kind of real in shinjuku lol. a bunch of them are in building basements or connected to subway passages so you'd never spot them from street level. the takano one is tricky but there's another famima literally inside the shinjuku gyoen mae station ticket gate area if u don't mind tapping in. or just grab pocari from any of the million vending machines along meiji dori, they're everywhere and same price
fwiw that specific family mart is actually part of the takano building's basement floor layout, not really a standalone shop. the building has two entrances on different streets and the one that leads to the famima faces a tiny side street with a bike parking area. if you're standing at the shinjuku gyoen mae station exit 1b, walk past the post office and take the second alley on your right, you'll see the green sign tucked between a dry cleaner and a soba place. also there's a lawson right across from the park's shinjuku gate that's way easier to find and has the same pocari for 150 yen
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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.