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Shinjuku 7-11 Mystery
ngl the best thing about that specific 7-11 is the hot food counter upstairs around lunchtime. they have this rotating selection of croquettes and korokke that changes daily, and sometimes they'll do a limited run of something like truffle salt or wasabi shrimp. grabbed a crab cream croquette there once that was still bubbling fresh, cost like 180 yen, and it was better than half the stuff at the depachika in isetan. also saw a salaryman buying a full on melon pan ice cream sandwich and a pack of tissues at 2am, which felt very on brand for shinjuku
The gold bar vending machine is real, but I've seen weirder. There's a shelf tucked near the back that stocks "emergency" sake in those little aluminum cans, the kind you'd expect in a vending machine at a hot spring town. I grabbed one once and it was actually decent, like a proper junmai that cost maybe 500 yen. The real kicker is the seasonal section by the registers, where they sometimes sell limited run Pokemon cards or weird collabs like "ramune flavored mentos." I picked up a pack of peach soda flavored gum there that I still can't find anywhere else in the city.
That place is a rabbit hole! I once stumbled upon a whole section dedicated to incredibly elaborate bento boxes, like, miniature works of art featuring tiny sculpted vegetables and perfectly formed rice balls. I almost bought one, just to admire the craftsmanship, but my luggage space was already bursting. Another time, I saw a guy buying a live lobster. A live lobster. From a 7-Eleven. In Shinjuku. That's the most surreal thing I've witnessed in that particular convenience store behemoth.
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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.