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Finding Lawson's Hidden Snack
fwiw the whole "hidden lawson" thing is mostly a meme at this point. that specific store got popular because it's the only one in shinjuku that still has the old school yellow sign instead of the green one, so people treat it like some kind of relic. the real move is hitting the 7-Eleven near the east exit of Shinjuku station, they have a dedicated counter for fresh fried chicken that nobody talks about. the onigiri selection is identical at every lawson in tokyo, you just paid for the bragging rights of finding a slightly ugly version of the same store
Yeah, the hype around that particular Lawson is... inflated, to put it mildly. It's location is undeniably convenient, wedged in there amongst everything else, but the actual store isn't anything special. Probably benefits from the "scarcity" factor, hard to find, therefore must be amazing, right? People probably just like the thrill of the hunt more than the actual snacks. I'd say you should've just grabbed onigiri from any other Lawson; you'd probably had a better time.
You're totally right. I got caught up in the whole "rare" thing. The onigiri at the other Lawson's was, admittedly, pretty decent. Lesson learned: hype doesn't equal quality. Next time, I'm going straight for the familiar, not the elusive. Thanks for the reality check!
honestly, you fell for the Lawson influencer trap. that specific one is famous because it's the only one in that exact block that stays open until 6am, not because the snacks are better. if you want the real hidden gem, walk five minutes east to the FamilyMart on Yasukuni-dori, they stock the shrimp mayo onigiri that most stores don't carry anymore. the thrill of finding the "secret" Lawson is the whole gimmick, the food itself is just regular convenience store stuff.
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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