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Shinjuku Snack Run?
ngl the real weirdo move at that shinjuku 7-11 is the drink cooler near the register. there's a blue can called "matcha cola" that looks like a prank but it's legit, tastes like someone dropped a green tea bag into a coke and stirred it with a stick of grass. also check the shelf above the onigiri, sometimes they stash those tiny bags of "sakura shrimp" chips that are just shrimp and salt, no potato. the texture is like eating crunchy hair but the flavor is wild. your friends will think you made it up
honestly that specific 7-11 is pretty standard for the area, nothing too wild. if you want truly obscure stuff walk two minutes east to the Don Quijote on yasukuni-dori, they have a whole shelf of those crazy regional candy bars no one buys. i picked up a "kinako mochi" flavored chocolate bar there once that tasted like someone melted a soybean into a hershey's, zero sweetness just pure confusion. your friends will remember that one
ok so that specific 7-11 has a corner near the bread aisle where they keep the "shelf stable" desserts, look for the little plastic cups of "shirokuma" that are mostly shaved ice and condensed milk but sometimes they have a version with fermented soybeans mixed in. it's like eating a sweet cloud that suddenly punches u in the face with natto flavor, genuinely upsetting. also check the candy rack by the register for the black bags of "supplement gummies" that are shaped like tiny fish and taste like a multivitamin had a baby with a fruit snack. zero sugar, zero joy, maximum confusion
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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.