Get your castanets out & go ‘Un-ta, un-ta … un-ta’
It’s not uncommon for anime series to use real-life locations as backgrounds or settings. And it’s become a niche pastime for some anime fans to find and visit those locations. But sometimes those locations aren’t accessible to the public or, even worse, no longer exist. Thankfully for K-ON! fans, renovations of the real-life school that appeared in the series have finished, and it is fully open to the public again.
As announced on the Toyosato Tourism Association’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on March 30, the old halls of Toyosato Elementary School, the model for Sakuragaoka Girls Private High School in the anime K-ON!, have finished extensive repairs.
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— ??????? (@toyosato_kankou) March 30, 2024
We apologize for keeping you all waiting for such a long time? You can now see the white school building that stands out against the blue sky??! The damaged areas inside the school building have been repaired and it is now beautiful! Please come and visit us?
The repairs were announced on Toyosato Town’s official website in July 2023. While no direct information was released as to why the building was undergoing extensive repairs, the site noted how certain services and visiting hours would still be available. The site also chronicled the repairs wih entries on August 28, 2023, September 9, 2023, December 27, 2023, and April 5, 2024.
A Little History About Toyosato Elementary School
The original elementary school was initially built in 1887 and used until the building was replaced in 1936. The second building, seen in K-ON!, was designed by American architect William Morrell Vories and used until 2004 when a third, and currently used, elementary school campus was built. After its closing as a school, the second building was repurposed as a library and public service center. It was made popular by the 2008 and 2009 anime series K-ON! and subsequently deemed a Registered Tangible Cultural Property by the national government in 2013. The building still serves as a library and public service center, but people can visit the building itself. The Toyosato Tourism homepage posts the operating hours as well as four photos that capture how the building was used in K-ON!
So, if you’re in or planning a visit to Toyosato in Shiga Prefecture, check out the freshly renovated old halls of Toyosato Elementary School.
Sources: Toyosato’s X/Twitter account & website, Toyosata Tourism Association’s website via Otakomu