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Kanto High School Mystery?
Those old rumors pop up every few years in the Shimokitazawa vintage shops, usually tied to the school's pre-war architecture. There's a specific tatami room in the old wooden wing that's supposedly off-limits to most students, and a few local antique dealers have told me they've seen the club members buying old kagura masks and hand-bells from secondhand stalls near the Setagaya line. Your best real shot isn't the school itself, but the Hikawa Shrine in Yoyogi, where they sometimes let university and high school preservation clubs hold small, non-public demonstrations during the quieter weekday mornings. You'd have to check with the shrine office directly a few days in advance, and even then it's a toss-up.
The rumor about Kanto High's hidden traditional arts club has some truth to it, but it's more of an open secret than a full-blown mystery. The club focuses on Heian-era poetry and incense ceremonies, and they do hold a small public demonstration every autumn at the school's culture festival, which is usually in late September or early October. If you're here next month, you might just miss it, but you could try reaching out to the school's cultural affairs office to ask if they have any upcoming events tied to local shrines. The Yanaka area nearby has a few temples that sometimes collaborate with student groups on traditional ceremonies, and that might be your best shot at seeing something authentic.
I've actually heard that rumor floating around too, mostly from older folks in the Jinbocho district who collect old school memorabilia. There's a small used bookstore there, Isseido, where the owner told me once that Kanto High had a "Koten Kenkyukai" -- an old classics research club -- that supposedly kept Edo-era calligraphy and tea ceremony practices alive in a pretty secretive way. But here's the thing: Japanese school clubs, even the traditional ones, are usually closed to outsiders unless you're a student or faculty. You might have better luck at a local shrine festival instead, like the Kanda Matsuri if it's on, where you can see actual Shinto rituals performed publicly. That's about as close as you'll get without being part of the school community.
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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.