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Hanazono Shrine's Secret?
The mossy one near the back is actually called a "koshinto" lantern, not the usual stone type you see at most shrines. It's a Shinto folk belief marker from the Edo period, probably from the 1700s. The shrine grounds used to be part of a larger neighborhood before the Meiji era, and those markers were common boundary stones. The priest told me once that it's likely the oldest object on the property, predating the current main hall by at least a hundred years.
that stone lantern is actually a private donation from the late 1800s, a merchant family put it there after their son survived a bad fire in the neighborhood. i only know because my grandma grew up near shinjuku and her dad used to deliver sake to the shrine. it's not in any official guide but the head priest might tell u about it if u ask politely after a morning service
honestly i think you might be overthinking it a bit. some shrines just have old stuff lying around that nobody remembers the story of anymore. my friend used to work at a shrine in tokyo and he said half the time even the priests dont know the origin of half the objects on site, they just maintain them out of tradition
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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.