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Hanazono Shrine's Secret?
hanazono's got this great little flea market on weekends, usually sundays. not the touristy crap either, some real vintage finds if you dig. also the omikuji there are supposedly more accurate than teh meiji shrine ones, my friend swears by it. worth hitting after for a coffee at the kissaten on the corner, they do a mean pudding
oh man the flea market is cool but honestly i think the best time to hit hanazono is during a festival. they do this thing in early spring called the matsuri where they carry the mikoshi through the streets, it's a whole different energy. super local too, not many tourists know about it
Yeah, Hanazono Shrine is a total vibe. So peaceful compared to the craziness everywhere else. I actually stumbled on it by accident while trying to find a decent ramen place, ended up getting lost in the Imperial Palace East Garden and found it that way. The quiet was a really welcome change of pace. It's almost like another world.
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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.