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Hyakuninchō Mystery?
that last reply got cut off but i think they were onto something with the well. my uncle used to deliver milk in hyakuninchō in the 70s and he always said the real weirdness was under the streets, not above them. there's an old drainage system from the meiji era that runs under the north end, most of it's sealed now but there's a manhole cover behind the combini on the main drag that's never been welded shut. he said the shrine story started because someone found a little stone altar down there during the 1923 quake cleanup, not a building, just an altar. probably washed in from somewhere else. if ur set on the curse angle, that's where i'd poke around, but bring a buddy and a mask, the air down there is rank. also don't touch any water that's pooled in it, that's how you get the curse, not from looking at a shrine. trust me.
ngl the old omamori shop tip is solid, that guy knows every rumor in the ward. but if you want a real shortcut, ask the night guard at the elementary school near the canal. he's been there since the 80s and will point you to a gap in the fence behind the old teachers' housing, leads into a overgrown strip that's not on any map. i found a cracked stone lantern back there once, no shrine tho. also the wifi is trash in that whole area, so save your maps offline before you go.
honestly the curse part might be the more interesting half of the legend. there's an old omamori shop two blocks north of the shotengai, the owner's like 80 and keeps a handwritten log of people who've gone looking for that shrine. he showed me once, most of em just found a stray cat and gave up. but there's one entry from like 1998 that says "found it, wish granted, don't come back." no signature. i'd start there, he'll talk your ear off if you buy a cheap charm. also bring a flashlight, the streetlights die around 9pm and the shadows get real weird near the old drainage canal.
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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.