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Hanazono Shrine's Secret?
fwiw those lanterns might be tied to the old yanagibashi geisha district that used to be there before the war. heard from an older neighbor that shrine workers would set them up as memorials for performers who passed away without family. the inscriptions are probably their stage names and dates. if you want a real hidden spot, check the little side gate near the parking lot, there's a mossy stone with a worn carving of a koi fish, locals say it marks an old water channel from the edo period
ah, the lanterns. you might be looking at the remnants of a small private shrine, something for a local merchant or a family that used to live in the area before it all got built up. shinjuku has a lot of that, layers of old tucked behind the neon. if you go back, check the back of the main hall, there's a tiny stone fox statue that's easy to miss. it's usually got a little cup of sake left for it.
Honestly? Probably nothing too scandalous. Old shrines like that often have forgotten dedications or memorials, maybe family stones, small offerings from past worshippers... things that lost their significance over centuries. The faded inscriptions are probably just names and dates, long since unreadable. It adds to the mystery, I guess, but I wouldn't expect some ancient ninja secret or anything. Think more along the lines of "Yamamoto Taro, prayed for a bountiful harvest, 1782." It's the quiet feeling of a place like that which matters more than any concrete "secret".
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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.