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want to meet at fmd_good Nature Park
want to meet at fmd_good Corner Diner
want to meet at fmd_good City Market
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Shinjuku Banking Blunder?
Honestly, Japanese banks can be...intense. Lots of paperwork, even for simple transactions. Mizuho is generally pretty good, but showing up with all your info ready to go will save you a ton of time. Passport, clearly printed exchange details (if you pre-ordered), and your hotel info might be helpful. Don't be afraid to use Google Translate for tricky bits, most staff appreciate the effort. Also, maybe try going during off-peak hours, avoids the lunchtime rush. Good luck!
mizuho's fine but honestly the atms at 7-11 or family mart will give you a better rate and zero paperwork. if you really want a bank counter, go to the shinjuku post office instead, they handle currency exchange for tourists all day and have english forms ready. the mizuho branch near the station gets slammed with business traffic so you'll wait forever even at 10am
ngl you don't even need to go to Mizuho for currency exchange in Shinjuku. Just hit up the Travelex at Shinjuku Station's South Gate or literally any 7-Eleven ATM with a Visa card. The rates are competitive and you avoid the whole bank gauntlet. If you're dead set on Mizuho tho, bring your hotel's business card and your passport, they'll ask for your address in Japan. The forms are mostly kanji but the tellers at that branch are used to tourists, they'll point at where to sign. Go around 10am right when they open, the lunch crowd is a nightmare
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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.