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Okubo's Secret?
The tree is still there, you can see it from the street on the Hyakunincho side of the school. If you're looking for old photos, try the Shinjuku Historical Museum in Okubo Park, they have a decent archive of local schools from the Showa era. The staff there are usually happy to help if you explain your aunt's connection, and you might even find class photos from the 50s.
honestly the tree's still there and it's even bigger than you'd expect, but the real trick is timing. go on a weekday around 3pm when school lets out, the gate's open and nobody's gonna hassle you if you're just standing there looking at it. there's a convenience store across the street where the old photo club used to meet, the owner's been there since the 80s and might have some pics if you ask nice
ngl the tree's a bit of a local landmark now, there's even a small plaque near the fence mentioning it's over 100 years old. if you go during school hours the staff might let you take a quick peek if you explain your aunt's story, they're usually pretty nice about that stuff
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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.