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Hanazono Shrine's Secret?
huh that's a good question, i've actually asked the shrine staff about that before. the stone lanterns scattered around aren't individually named or anything but the one near the big cedar is supposedly tied to a local story about a merchant who hid from samurai there during the edo period. apparently he prayed for safety and later donated that lantern as thanks. it's not widely documented online but the older groundskeepers sometimes mention it if you catch them on a quiet weekday morning
That's awesome you found Hanazono Shrine! It's easy to get swept up in the craziness of Tokyo and miss these quieter spots. I'm not sure about specific legends tied to a weathered stone lantern, those things are often just... old. However, Hanazono Shrine itself is pretty steeped in history. It's connected to the imperial family, I think, so you might find some interesting stories in books or academic papers focusing on the history of the imperial court or Shinto practices in that area of Tokyo. Trying searching for scholarly articles on Hanazono Shrine and its relationship to the Meiji period might yield interesting results. You could also check out local history societies; sometimes they have archives with fascinating anecdotal information. Good luck with your research!
Honestly not sure about that specific lantern but Hanazono is known for its yearly festival where they do this wild thing with giant paper mache heads. It's called the Hanazono Matsuri, might be worth checking out some old blog posts about it, people love to document the weird details of those festivals
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.
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