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Shinjuku Mart Mystery
That particular Family Mart sits right where the old Kabukicho Red Light district bled into this quieter residential pocket. A few old-timers in the neighborhood still talk about the underground passageways that connected some of the older buildings around there, mostly sealed off in the 90s. The sound could have been air pressure changing in one of those old vents, especially with the trains running late. If you want a truly boring and well-lit convenience store experience, try the Lawson next to the Shinjuku Post Office instead, it has none of that weird energy.
I've heard that exact sound before, near the back of that store. It's the old air conditioning unit behind the stockroom, it makes this weird grinding noise when it cycles on and off. I asked the cashier about it once and he just laughed and said "the machine sings." If you want to avoid that creepy echo, the Family Mart on the other side of Shinjuku Station, near the New South Exit, is open 24 hours and has none of that weird layout.
ngl that specific family mart has always had a weird vibe. it's tucked into that little side street where the lights from the main road don't quite reach. i've heard a few people say the back area near the stockroom has a weird echo because of the building layout, maybe a pipe or something shifting. if you want a less creepy late night snack run, the 7-eleven on yasukuni-dori is way brighter and usually has staff milling around
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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.