Image search results - "toyosato" |
Ohmi Railways Toyosato Station. MAP
|
|
Itoh Chube'e Memorial House (Itoh Chube'e Ki'nenkan). Itoh Chube'e (1842-1903) was the founder of Itochu Corporation and Marubeni, two of Japan's largest trading companies, in 1858. MAPThis house displays his former residence and some of his possessions. A short walk from Toyosato Station, the house is open to the public on Tue., Thu., and Sat. Free admission.
|
|
Entrance to Itoh Chube'e Memorial House
|
|
Inside Toyosato Station.
|
|
Entrance to Itoh Chube'e Memorial House
|
|
|
Front garden
|
|
|
|
Front garden
|
|
|
Maid's room
|
|
Inside entrance. The house was occupied by Itochu company founder Itoh Chube'e and his son, Chube'e II.
|
|
Toyosato Station platform.
|
|
|
Shopkeeper's desk
|
|
Shopkeeper's desk
|
|
Shopkeeper's desk
|
|
Butsudan Buddhist altar in a butsuma (Buddhist altar room).
|
|
Tokonoma alcove and scroll. 奥の間
|
|
In 1998, the house was donated to a local foundation. In 2002, the house was opened to the public.
|
|
Exhibits of Itoh Chube'e II, the son of the founder Chube'e (1842-1903).
|
|
Bust of Itoh Chube'e II (1886-1973), his walking sticks, bag, and shoes.
|
|
Kitchen
|
|
|
Kitchen
|
|
Stove 炊事場
|
|
Western-style bath from the early 20th century. Very unusual at the time. 西洋風バスルーム
|
|
Bathroom sink
|
|
Built in 1935, a memorial for Itoh Chube'e in Kurenai Park. くれない園
|
|
|
|
Memorial marking Itoh Chobe'e's house, right near Itoh Chube'e's house. Chobe'e was Chube'e's older brother and co-founder of Marubeni Corporation.
|
|
Toyosato Elementary School was renovated and reopened in May 2009.
|
|
From Toyosato Station to Toyosato Elementary School, statues of a tortoise and hare adorn the sidewalk.
|
|
Designed by William Merrell Vories, the old Toyosato Elementary School building was built in 1937. This picture was taken in 2007, before renovations. This is the front gate.
|
|
Toyosato Elementary School after renovations in 2009. Nice new coat of paint makes the old school look almost brand new. MAP
|
|
Toyosato Elementary School before renovations. During 1999-2002, Toyosato gained national attention when this old elementary school building was going to be torn down by the mayor in opposition to activists who wanted to preserve the building.
|
|
Toyosato Elementary School after renovations. At a total cost of 650 million yen, the old building was repainted, reinforced against earthquakes, installed with an elevator, and preserved as much as possible.
|
|
Toyosato Elementary School before renovations.
|
|
Toyosato Elementary School after renovations. A ceremony was held on May 30, 2009 to mark the completion of the renovations.
|
|
Anyone can now enter this old building and look around. Free admission. The school is Toyosato's symbol.
|
|
Toyosato Elementary School name plate at the front gate.
|
|
|
|
Weather vane on top of the main building.
|
|
Statue of Furukawa Tetsujiro, the man who donated his own money to build the school in 1937. He donated 600,000 yen which is equivalent to today's value of a few billion yen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Entrance hall. You have to take off your shoes and wear house slippers.
|
|
Little statue in the entrance hall.
|
|
Map of the old school. The first floor has a public library, exhibition room, children's playroom, meeting rooms, and local board of education office.
|
|
First-floor corridor.
|
|
This exhibition room is what you first see when you enter the front entrance.
|
|
On display are old photos of the school.
|
|
|
Telephone booth
|
|
Old telephone
|
|
Scale model of old school.
|
|
Exhibition panels explaining school's history.
|
|
Old camera that was used to take the school pictures on display.
|
|
First floor corridor and stairway. Notice the rabbit sculpture.
|
|
Rabbit sculpture on the railing.
|
|
This rabbit sculpture and turtle sculpture represents the famous Aesop's fable, the race between the turtle and hare.
|
|
|
The turtle makes it way at its own, slow pace.
|
|
As the rabbit sleeps.
|
|
Second-floor corridor
|
|
VIP room.
|
|
VIP room.
|
|
Children's playroom
|
|
2nd floor corridor
|
|
On the 2nd floor, this classroom has been reconstructed.
|
|
On the 2nd floor, this classroom has been reconstructed to look like what it was before.
|
|
This is one of two rooms in the building which has been reconstructed as a classroom for display purposes.
|
|
This is one of two rooms in the building which has been reconstructed as a classroom for display purposes.
|
|
|
Classroom door
|
|
Classroom windows as seen from the outside.
|
|
2nd floor corridor
|
|
On the second floor, a mural depicting a train station.
|
|
Another reconstructed classroom on the 2nd floor. This one was for homemaking.
|
|
End stairway with wash basin.
|
|
|
|
Stairway
|
|
Stairway with turtle statue on railing.
|
|
Cubby hole
|
|
Looking toward the school auditorium.
|
|
School auditorium.
|
|
School auditorium.
|
|
School auditorium entrance.
|
|
Inside school auditorium.
|
|
Inside school auditorium.
|
|
The school auditorium also has an upper level.
|
|
View from the podium in the school auditorium. It looks like that they still use this auditorium.
|
|
On the opposite side of the auditorium is the old library.
|
|
The old school library.
|
|
The old school library.
|
|
Name plate for the old school library.
|
|
Old school library is now a K-ON gallery, event space, and cafe. Fans of the popular manga/anime called K-ON! gather here on weekends.
|
|
This part is a cafe where K-ON! fans sit and gather. In the rear is a gallery space that is now a showcase of K-ON! memorabilia donated by fans.
|
|
|
|
Inside the old library which also has a local tourist information counter.
|
|
This old school library is most interesting architecturally.
|
|
The old library checkout counter.
|
|
|
Upper level of old school library.
|
|
|
Spiral staircase
|
|
Old gallery corner in old school library. This corner space is now filled with K-ON stuff.
|
|
K-ON Gallery. Guitars, life-size cutouts, dolls, manga books, figurines, and all kinds of K-ON merchandise donated and left here by fans are displayed.
|
|
K-ON stands for kei-ongaku (軽音楽) meaning light music or casual/informal music. The manga/anime is about a group of five junior high school girls in the Light Music Club.
|
|
The K-ON! manga artist used Toyosato Elementary School as the artistic backdrop in K-ON!. However, the K-ON school's name and place are different.
|
|
K-ON! fans have donated and dropped off numerous K-ON! merchandise like these figurines of the K-ON! characters.
|
|
K-ON! dolls. Too bad they don't sell any K-ON! merchandise.
|
|
Colorful and artistic K-ON! postcards written by fans.
|
|
K-ON! fan's car.
|
|
On the third floor is the music room where live bands play on weekends.
|
|
Entrance to new public library.
|
|
Inside public library which occupies former classrooms whose walls were removed.
|
|
Public library in old Toyosato Elementary School. The renovations are very impressive.
|
|
Study desks inside public library. They face a window with a view of the new Toyosato Elementary School building.
|
|
The new Toyosato Elementary School building.
|
|
|
Front entrance of the new Toyosato Elementary School building.
|
|
What it looked like before the new school building was built.
|
|
Before the new Toyosato Elementary School building was completed, the school held classes in this temporary structure in front of the old school building.
|
|
In 2003, local citizens and former students staged protests against the destruction of the old school building.
|
|
Protest signs.
|
|
The local mayor Ono Wasaburo was forced to stop his plans to destroy the building. He was later ousted from office, but later re-elected.
|
|
Rear view of the old Toyosato Elementary School before renovations.
|
|
Rear view of the old Toyosato Elementary School before renovations.
|
|
Partially destroyed building. This was stopped via a court order.
|
|
Toyosato manhole, Shiga Pref.
|
|
|
|
|