i think part of it is that japan's laws around public behavior are way more specific than what people are used to. like did you know it's actually illegal to walk while looking at your phone in some parts of tokyo? there's signs up in minato city about it. these streamers show up thinking they can just do their usual thing and then get blindsided by stuff that's been on the books forever. the thing is japanese law enforcement is really consistent about enforcement too, they don't just let stuff slide because you're a foreigner

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There's also a practical side to this that gets overlooked. Most of these streamers stay in Airbnbs or short term rentals in places like Shinjuku or Shibuya, and the neighbors in those buildings are not shy about calling the police when someone is filming in the hallway or making noise at 2am. I've seen building management put up notices in English and Chinese specifically banning livestreaming in common areas. The building I used to live in near Yoyogi Park started doing that after a group of streamers kept filming the residents coming and going.

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A lot of it comes down to the cultural gap in what counts as "public." In Japan, the concept of "meiwaku" (being a nuisance) covers things that would be totally fine in the US or Europe. Filming someone's house from the street, blocking a convenience store entrance to do a bit, even just being loud on the train platform at Shinjuku station can get you a talking to from the station staff. Streamers who are used to American or European norms where you can set up a tripod anywhere don't realize that half of Tokyo is technically private property with specific rules about photography. The small koban police boxes in places like Harajuku have become pretty good at spotting the ring lights and gimbals from a distance now.

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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

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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.

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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.

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