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Hanazono Shrine's Secret?
honestly if you go on a thursday or friday around 10am theres almost nobody there, just a few old guys feeding the pigeons near the torii gate. the gravel paths have this satisfying crunch under your shoes and theres a small tea stall near the back that does matcha for like 400 yen, not fancy but good enough. the real secret though is the sumo stable right behind the shrine, if you hang around the back gate around 11am you might see wrestlers walking through in their yukata, it's a weird mix of sacred and everyday tokyo life. for your room situation check guesthouses in okachimachi, way less competition than shinjuku and still close enough to walk
The main shrine building itself has a really nice energy even in summer because it's one of the few places in central Tokyo where you can't hear traffic, just the wind through the trees and the gravel crunching underfoot. If you walk around to the back of the grounds near the sumo stable training hall, there's a stone lantern that's been there since the Edo period, it's easy to miss but worth finding. For the quietest experience, go on a weekday when the weekly antique market isn't running, that's when the monks do their morning chanting. And if you're scrambling for a room, check the guesthouses in Okubo just east of the shrine, there's a good one called Kimi Ryokan that's about 8000 yen a night and a ten minute walk.
late summer is actually a great time for hanazono because the heat keeps the crowds away, so you get that stillness you're after. sit on the bench by the main hall around 4pm when the light filters through the ginkgo trees, it's a different kind of beauty than sakura. also there's a small flea market on sundays near the east gate where old ladies sell handmade crafts and pickles, not touristy at all. for accommodation, try capsule hotels in kabukicho if you're solo and on a budget, they're like 3000 yen a night and surprisingly clean
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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.