Former Asakawa Elementary School Building No. 1

A Brief History of Asakawa Elementary School

Asakawa Elementary School was first established in November 1873 (Meiji 6), only a few years after the Meiji government introduced Japan's modern public education system. The original building was a converted village granary, but it was destroyed by fire in September 1879. The school was rebuilt at the present site, where it would serve generations of local children for well over a century.

Building No. 1, which stands today, was completed in March 1913 (Taisho 2). Nearly a quarter of a century later, in May 1937 (Showa 12), the larger Building No. 2 was constructed nearby. To accommodate the new building, Building No. 1 was carefully relocated within the school grounds using the traditional Japanese technique of hikiya, in which an entire structure is jacked up and moved without dismantling it. This act alone speaks to how much the community valued the original schoolhouse.

The school finally closed its doors as an elementary school in 2001 (Heisei 13). Rather than letting the buildings fall into disuse, the town gave them a second life: since 2006, the site has been used by a correspondence high school, ensuring that the sounds of learning continue to fill these historic rooms.

Why It Was Designated a Cultural Property

On May 10, 2018, Building No. 1 was officially listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, together with Building No. 2. The registration recognizes the building's value as a well-preserved example of early twentieth-century Japanese rural school architecture.

Two qualities in particular drew attention. First, the building is unusually long: it stretches approximately 39 meters along its longest axis, making it a striking example of the "single-corridor" plan (kata-rōka-shiki) common in Meiji and Taisho-era schools, in which classrooms are lined up along one side of a single, sunlit hallway. Second, the careful use of two horizontal rows of glass windows along the facade, designed to bring abundant natural light into the classrooms, reflects the era's earnest concern for healthy learning environments.

The site is also valued as an ensemble. Building No. 1 (Taisho era) and Building No. 2 (Showa era) sit at right angles to each other in an L-shaped layout, connected by covered corridors, and together they form a rare surviving example of a pre-war village school complex in eastern Japan.

Architectural Highlights

Building No. 1 is a single-story wooden structure with a hipped roof clad in traditional Japanese pantiles (sangawara-buki). Its building area measures roughly 362 square meters. Visitors approaching from the south are greeted by a long, low silhouette and the gentle rhythm of weatherboard cladding broken by repeated window bays.

Some details to look for during your visit include the following. The two-tiered window system, with one band of glass above another, was a thoughtful design choice that maximized daylight inside the classrooms even on cloudy mountain days. The single-corridor plan, where every classroom opens onto a sunlit hallway, gives the building its distinctive elongated form. The covered passageways linking Building No. 1 with Building No. 2 and the toilet block are themselves part of the registered property and demonstrate how rural schools were carefully designed as integrated complexes.

Building No. 1 has been sensitively repaired several times over its long life, including renovations around 1955, in 1997, and most recently in 2006. These repairs have allowed the building to remain in active use while preserving its historic character.

Visitor Information

Because the buildings are currently used as a correspondence high school facility, the interiors are not generally open for casual sightseeing, and visitors are kindly asked to respect the privacy and study environment of those using the school. The exterior of the building, however, can be admired from the public road, and the surrounding rural landscape — terraced rice fields, wooded slopes, and traditional farmhouses — is itself a delight to walk through.

The most common way to reach the area is by rental car, which gives you the freedom to explore other heritage sites scattered through Daigo Town. Driving from Naka Interchange on the Joban Expressway takes a little under an hour. By train, take the JR Suigun Line to Hitachi-Daigo Station, and from there a taxi or local bus is recommended for the final leg into the Asakawa district. Always check the latest local timetables, as service in this rural area can be infrequent.

The best seasons to visit are late April to early June, when the surrounding hills turn fresh green, and mid-October to late November, when the autumn foliage of the surrounding forests provides a stunning backdrop for photography. Winters can be cold and occasionally snowy, but the building looks particularly atmospheric on a crisp clear day.

What to See Nearby

Daigo Town is one of Ibaraki Prefecture's most rewarding rural destinations, and a visit to the former school pairs naturally with several other attractions. Fukuroda Falls (Fukuroda no Taki), a designated National Place of Scenic Beauty and counted among Japan's three most famous waterfalls, plunges 120 meters down a four-tiered cliff face about a 25-minute drive from Asakawa. The falls are spectacular in every season, from fresh spring greenery to fiery autumn leaves and the rare frozen "ice falls" of midwinter.

The town is also home to several other registered historic schoolhouses, including the photogenic Former Kamioka Elementary School, often used as a film location, and the Former Makinoji Elementary School, a long, post-war wooden structure. For relaxation, the area's hot springs, including Daigo Onsen and the day-use baths at the Michi-no-Eki Okukuji Daigo roadside station, offer a perfect end to a day of cultural sightseeing. Local culinary specialties such as Okukuji shamo (free-range chicken), apple sweets, and konjac dishes round out the experience.