Sleep in a school 学校に泊まる
Dreams of a childhood night!
Traveling to Japan is expensive, with all the hotel nights even more so. So to save money and live a different experience, why not choose to sleep in a school? Renovated, some are very pleasant and you will relive part of your childhood in a dream.
Giving a second life to schools
Where does this idea of transforming a school into a dormitory for tourists come from? You will see that this is not a designer fad in search of brilliant inspiration.
It all starts with the high birth rate that has been hitting Japan for several years now. The villages are emptying of their inhabitants, especially the youngest and the families attracted by the bright lights of the big city. Only the elderly remain in these villages, businesses that are closing and… schools without students . Faced with this alarming observation, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology has the idea of reusing all these schools in something else, such as gymnasiums, culture centers, retirement homes, offices, businesses, nurseries, training facilities, museums and budget hotels . The idea was launched and in 2002, of the 6,800 disused schools, many would find a second life.
In Kyoto, for example, the International Manga Museum was created in the former Tatsuike Elementary School , which received students from 1869 until 1995.
To go further: The Japanese school system
The right housing plan
Throughout Japan, accommodation is created in these former schools : hotels or youth hostels. The service there is minimal but the main attraction comes from the price because it is often cheap and located in rural areas where there is usually no accommodation. Another advantage is that you are in the middle of nature, these places are renovated to feel good, spend a quiet night, sleep like a child!
To read: Cheap accommodation in Japan
Old Hota School Dormitory Hall, South Chiba
Photozou
We present some examples of these schools ready to welcome you for one or more nights:
- Sarushō
Former Sarugakyô Primary School, in the city of Minakami, Gunma Prefecture. This school, founded in 1874 , saw its last students leave in 2008, to become a place of accommodation while keeping its charm and historic layout. You sleep in the old classrooms , the gymnasium is intact. There is also a large sports ground, a swimming pool, a library, a music room. The all-wooden buildings are magnificent, in the heart of the mountains , the cries of the children have given way to an Olympian calm. The canteen is even available for meals.
Especially recommended for groups
- Hota Shogakko
Former Hota Elementary School, in Kyonan Village, south of Chiba. The place has become a michi no eki (rest area) with all the associated services, restaurant and café. You can sleep in the classrooms, dominated by the blackboard and the teacher's desk left as they were.
4,000 yen per night per person (30€80)
- Jiyu Gakko
Former primary school in the village of Tatsugasako, Kochi prefecture, south of the island of Shikoku. You are in a very small village school on the edge of the Pacific Ocean . It's super cute, very calm and nostalgic to find your childhood dreams. There were only 7 classes, so as many rooms today. But you will have the privilege of taking a bath in a tub heated by wood and being lit by oil lamps as in the days before.
6,000 yen per night with 2 meals included (46€)
- Yamabiko-so
Former Osori Elementary School in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. The inhabitants were so attached to their school that they did not want to see it wither away with the passage of time, so they wanted to see it revived with this rehabilitation project in a place of accommodation. Located in the mountains, 15 minutes from the sea by car , the teachers' room has become an onsen and it is even possible to barbecue in the middle of nature.
3,500 yen per night per person (27€)
See also: Unusual housing
