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New scam/MO in Shibuya?
I was on the way to Shibuya and me and my… So I think I got quite close to being robbed in Shibuya today but I was wondering whether I maybe just misunderstood completely. Maybe you guys can help me.
I was on the way to Shibuya and me and my wife were in costume, easily recognizable as foreigners although I am more of an expat then a tourist. On the way there, a couple of people had asked to take a photo of us, so at first we were not suspicious when another woman asked us in broken English and Japanese for a photo.
But then she said her husband would take the photo (or maybe we should take a photo of her and her husband? It was hard to understand but she was just wearing casual clothes), and walked off around the corner, telling us to follow. When we turned the corner, there was almost nothing there, just a long alley, relatively dark (although just a few steps away from the lively main thoroughfare) and a group of four 20-30ish guys standing around and smoking. The woman who had approached us just walked on, past the group of guys further into the alley. At that point I thought his was just to strange and I kinda did not want to get into any situation where it was just me and my wife, who does not speak any Japanese, and who knows to whom the woman was taking us.
So maybe I am paranoid, but we just turned and went back towards where the people were streaming toward Shibuya and everything was bright and loud again. The woman noticed after a few steps and ran after us, almost pleading (quite loudly) with us to follow her again. We had to say no thank you a few times and move on quite a bit before she gave up. I felt a bit bad, but thought this even more strange. I mean, who makes such a fuss just to take a photo of two strangers on Halloween. My wife thinks I am silly, as if I was expecting those guys to rob us at knife point like we were in some kind of violent, crime-ridden part of the world. I admit that it is somewhat strange - while we are foreigners, I am a relatively big guy and spoke Japanese to the woman, so not the ideal mark I would think. Then again, I would likely have paid them off if it came to a confrontation.
I tried to google the MO and „scam" but did not find anything. Maybe this was an innocent misunderstanding after all?
that pleading thing is the giveaway honestly, normal people don't chase you down an alley for a photo. i live near shibuya and have seen similar setups around the love hotel hill path off dogenzaka, usually they try to get you into a "members only" bar or a host club where the bill mysteriously jumps to 50,000 yen for a couple drinks. the woman running after you is a known pressure tactic to make you feel rude for not following, but you did the right thing bailing into the crowd. next time just say "chotto matte" and keep walking straight into a familymart, they never follow you inside
Try Butagumi if you are up for the walk to Roppongi.
not paranoid at all, that's a known setup near the shibuya crossing area. the woman is the "decoy" who tries to lead tourists or couples into the side streets off koen dori or near the love hotel hill, where the real crew is waiting. usually it's a fake bar scam where they pressure you into a huge bill or just straight up rob you, the pleading act is part of it to make you feel bad and follow.
i've heard of this happening around center gai too but mostly later at night when the crowds thin out. the fact she kept chasing you is the biggest tell, no one does that for a photo. your wife might think it's overblown but shibuya has plenty of these bait-and-switch types especially around halloween when everyone's distracted. just keep walking next time and don't engage at all.
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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.