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Naitomachi Nightlife?
honestly the internet's useless for naitomachi because most of the good spots don't even have websites. there's a tiny yakitori place tucked behind the post office on Meiji-dori, no name in english, just a red lantern and a old guy grilling. he closes when he runs out of chicken, usually around midnight. the sake selection is handwritten on a piece of paper taped to the wall and half the stuff isn't listed. if you sit at the counter long enough someone will eventually offer you a pour from their personal bottle. that's the real naitomachi vibe, just follow the sounds of conversation spilling out of unmarked doorways
Skip the main drags and head toward the old sento building on the corner of the Yamate-dori service road. There's a second-floor bar called Renga that doesn't bother with a sign, just a wooden door with a small paper lantern above it. The owner's a retired jazz drummer who'll pour you a decent highball and won't talk unless you start it. Gets crowded with locals around 10pm, mostly folks from the nearby design studios and a few off-duty chefs.
Shinjuku's suggestions are fine but honestly, Naitomachi's real spots are those second-floor bars you'd never notice. Head to the backstreets near the old apartment buildings, there's a tiny ramen spot that turns into a late-night sake bar around 11pm, no sign, just a noren curtain. Locals just call it "the red door place."
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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.