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Okubo Elementary's Secret?
you could walk from the school over to the small shrine about 10 mins east, it's tucked behind some apartment buildings and barely marked. the old torii gate has these faded paper charms tied to it from decades ago, locals say kids used to leave them after exams for good luck. the shrine keeper is usually out sweeping in the morning and will chat if you catch him
The real hidden spot isn't at the school itself but up the hill to the east, near the old cemetery on the back side of the park. There's a narrow path between two houses that leads to a small persimmon tree grove where kids used to hide their snacks and trade cards after school. My friend who grew up in the neighborhood says the tree closest to the wall has initials carved from the 1980s still visible. The school's just a regular elementary building, but that grove feels like stepping into a different decade.
that persimmon grove someone mentioned is real, my buddy's dad grew up on that block and said the real trick was knowing which tree had the lowest branch you could climb to see over the wall into the schoolyard after hours. the initials are still there, he showed me a photo once. also if you go on a sunday morning the old guy who lives in the yellow house across from the grove sometimes sits on his porch with tea and will tell you about the neighborhood before the train station was built, his family has been there since the 40s. not exactly a secret but it's the kind of thing you won't find on google
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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.