The former Toyosato Elementary School buildings in Toyosato Town, Inukami District, Shiga Prefecture, are known as the model for Sakuragaoka High School in the anime K-On! The white school buildings were built in 1937 (Shōwa 12). Today they serve as a town facility housing the town library and other offices, and they are also open to visitors.
In this article, with photos from my visit in February 2024, I introduce the highlights of the school buildings, the K-On! exhibits inside, opening hours and access, visitor manners, and the Itō Chūbei Memorial Hall, which is within walking distance. Information such as opening hours was checked on the websites of Toyosato Town and the Toyosato Tourism Association on October 22, 2026.
What Are the Former Toyosato Elementary School Buildings?
The former Toyosato Elementary School buildings are elementary school buildings completed in 1937 (Shōwa 12). They were donated by Furukawa Tetsujirō, an Ōmi merchant and senior managing director of the trading company Marubeni, and designed by the architect William Merrell Vories. According to Marubeni’s website, Furukawa Tetsujirō paid the entire construction cost personally.
At the time, the school was called the “White Palace of Education” and “the finest elementary school in the East.” In 2013 (Heisei 25), three buildings — the school building, the auditorium, and the Shūtoku Memorial Library — were registered as National Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.
The front of the school building and the round flower bed in the front garden. In February 2024, when I took this photo, the entrance was covered with scaffolding and sheets.
Today, the first floor of the school building houses the town board of education, the town library, and an exhibition room, while the second and third floors keep their original classrooms. One of these classrooms has been restored based on the original design (from the Toyosato Town website). The former Shūtoku Memorial Library is now a gallery and tourist information center.
Walking Around the White School Buildings
The school has a central tower with a clock, with long two-story wings stretching out to the left and right. Many windows line the white walls, and the front garden has a round flower bed and palm-like trees.
The school building seen at an angle. You can see the long wing stretching to the right and the auditorium building in the back.
On February 11, 2024, when I visited, the school building was in the middle of large-scale repair work. According to a notice from Toyosato Town, the work was planned to last about half a year starting in August 2023, and all work had been completed as of April 5, 2024. That is why the entrance is covered with scaffolding and black sheets in my photos, but today you can see the entrance as it was before the work. Even during the work, visitors could look around inside the buildings.
Inside the school building, a corridor with a wooden floor stretches straight ahead. Large windows line one side, letting in bright light.
The long corridor lined with windows. The wooden floor and white walls continue all the way to the end.
According to Marubeni’s website, the handrails of the school staircase have brass ornaments of the tortoise and the hare running a race. The tortoise is said to have changed color from being touched by the children. Anyone who has watched K-On! will be curious about these stairs, so look for them when you visit.
The wooden staircase and the handrail with round openings. The hare ornament is in front, and the tortoise is farther up.
The hare ornament at the end of the handrail.
K-On! Exhibits Inside the School Building
Inside the school building, there are exhibition rooms where K-On! fans gather. The walls are covered with framed illustrations and posters, and the shelves held goods from the series and even a model of the school building.
In the series, the main characters join the light music club. Fittingly, one corner of a room had a long row of electric guitars and basses. A guitar and a bass were also placed in a classroom with a blackboard. There were also shelves lined with figures and a room with life-size character panels.
A guitar and a bass in front of the blackboard, in a classroom with a wooden floor.
A familiar scene from the series is the light music club’s tea time. On a classroom desk, a floral tea set and cakes were laid out. Nearby, there was also a piano with sheet music on it.
The tea set and cakes on a classroom desk. The room was bright with light from the windows.
The piano with sheet music on it.
Manners When Visiting
The former school buildings are still a town facility that houses the town library, a child-rearing support center, and more. Toyosato Town also asks visitors to “strictly observe good manners.” Keeping in mind that there are library users and people with children, please be careful about the following.
- Do not talk loudly or run
- Do not enter off-limits areas or rooms that are in use
- When taking photos, make sure other visitors and people using the facility are not in the shot
- Do not write on the walls or exhibits, and do not touch the exhibits
The auditorium seen from the second floor. A white curtain hung over the stage.
The auditorium is rented out on some days, and it cannot be visited by the general public while it is rented. As of October 2026, the auditorium is scheduled to be closed to visitors from the afternoon of October 28 through October 30. On days when only the auditorium is rented, the school building and the tourist information center can be visited as usual. It is a good idea to check the notices from the Toyosato Tourism Association before you go.
Opening Hours, Closing Days, and Access
(Checked on the websites of Toyosato Town and the Toyosato Tourism Association on October 22, 2026)
| Address | 518 Ishihata, Toyosato-chō, Inukami-gun, Shiga Prefecture |
| Opening hours | 10:00–17:00 (from April 1, 2026; before that, it opened at 9:00) |
| Closed | Mondays (the next day if Monday is a national holiday), New Year holidays |
| Visiting | Visitors can freely look around the school building (from the Toyosato Tourism Association website) |
| Parking | Available |
| By train | 10 minutes on foot from Toyosato Station on the Ohmi Railway |
If you go by train, the nearest station is Toyosato Station on the Ohmi Railway. According to the Toyosato Town website, it takes about 13 minutes from Hikone to Toyosato Town on the Ohmi Railway. From the Kyoto area, take the JR Biwako Line to Ōmi-Hachiman and change to the Ohmi Railway.
By car, it is about 15 minutes from the Hikone Interchange on the Meishin Expressway via National Route 8 (from the Toyosato Town website). The former school buildings have a parking lot.
The opening hours changed only recently, in April 2026, so be careful not to confuse them with the “from 9:00” in older guides.
Also Worth Visiting: The Itō Chūbei Memorial Hall
A place worth visiting together with the former school buildings is the Itō Chūbei Memorial Hall, also in Toyosato Town. It is the family home of Itō Chūbei I, who founded the major trading companies Marubeni and ITOCHU, and it displays materials such as items used by the first and second Chūbei. Furukawa Tetsujirō, who donated the Toyosato Elementary School buildings, was also a senior managing director of Marubeni, so visiting both places helps you understand the ties linking Toyosato Town with the Ōmi merchants.
At the gate, there is a sign reading “Toyosato Seibikai Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Former Residence of Itō Chūbei” and an information board for the memorial hall.
A merchant house with lattice doors. A wooden sign reading “Irasshaimase” (Welcome) hung at the entrance.
Inside, you can see the kitchen, where the cooking stoves and a well pump remain, and the zashiki, a series of tatami rooms continuing far into the house. Above the zashiki hangs a framed sign reading “Itō Ito-ten” (Itō Yarn Store), and wooden signboards bearing the names of Marubeni, ITOCHU, and Kureha Spinning were also on display.
The kitchen, with its cooking stoves and dishes. There is also a well pump in the back.
The zashiki continuing far into the house. Above it hangs the framed “Itō Ito-ten” sign.
| Address | 128-1 Yatsume, Toyosato-chō, Inukami-gun, Shiga Prefecture |
| Opening hours | 10:00–16:00 |
| Closed | Mondays |
| Admission | Free, according to the information board at the gate when I took the photos (February 2024) |
| Parking | Available |
| By train | 10 minutes on foot from Toyosato Station on the Ohmi Railway |
(Checked on the Toyosato Tourism Association website on October 22, 2026)
The former school buildings are open until 17:00, and the Itō Chūbei Memorial Hall until 16:00. If you visit both, going to the memorial hall first gives you more time to spare.
Summary
The former Toyosato Elementary School buildings are not only known as a K-On! pilgrimage site, but are also National Registered Tangible Cultural Properties designed by Vories and donated by the Ōmi merchant Furukawa Tetsujirō. From the white exterior, the tortoise and hare handrail, and the anime exhibits to the nearby Itō Chūbei Memorial Hall, both fans of the series and lovers of architecture can enjoy a visit.
- Open 10:00–17:00, closed on Mondays (the next day if Monday is a national holiday) (checked on October 22, 2026)
- 10 minutes on foot from Toyosato Station on the Ohmi Railway. Parking is also available
- It is a town facility that houses the town library and more, so please follow good manners when visiting
- The auditorium may be closed to visitors on rental days, so check the tourism association’s notices before you go
For other anime pilgrimages, see “Sound! Euphonium Pilgrimage Guide: Real-Life Locations in Uji,” where I walked around Uji in Kyoto, and our Pilgrimage to sacred sites page.
References (checked on October 22, 2026)
- About the Former Toyosato Elementary School Buildings | Toyosato Town (Japanese)
- Large-Scale Repair Work on the Former Toyosato Elementary School Buildings | Toyosato Town (Japanese)
- Former Toyosato Elementary School Buildings | Toyosato Tourism Association (Japanese)
- Notice on Visiting Restrictions | Toyosato Tourism Association (Japanese)
- Itō Chūbei Memorial Hall | Toyosato Tourism Association (Japanese)
- Former Toyosato Elementary School Buildings | Marubeni (Japanese)
- Cultural Heritage Online (Agency for Cultural Affairs) (Japanese)
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