As Japan’s population shrinks and people migrate to cities, about 450 rural schools close every year. But now, in some places, those schools are being transformed into innovative inns.
The sun, shining through the tall windows in the morning, casts its light on rows of wooden benches, illuminating a classroom where students once studied kanji. But this place no longer attracts children who whisper and whisper — it attracts travelers seeking a deeper sense of peace, a glimpse into the rural Japanese way of life.
This peaceful place — Hare to Ke — was once an elementary school in the Miyoshi Mountains on the Japanese island of Shikoku. It is now a guesthouse.
The school closed in 2005 and was officially abolished in 2013. Once bustling with 500 students, the institution has gradually become empty as the population has dwindled. It is a reflection of the rural areas becoming quieter as people migrate to the cities.
Meanwhile, Umoto Shuko, a designer from Tokyo, visited Miyoshi with her young son and was captivated by the area’s air, the roar of the rivers, and the silence. “The day after we arrived, my son’s asthma symptoms disappeared,” she says.
She strongly believes in the health and happiness that comes from being close to nature, and so she launched the project ‘Hare to Ke’, which transformed an old school into a guesthouse and turned it into a new path for Japan’s renewal.
The school was once a landmark, but over time, the place has been closed, and now it has seen the light. With the help of locals, the sound of Hare to Ke has revived memories.
Today, the abandoned old schools in Miyoshi — thirteen in all — have been turned into cafes, offices, and guesthouses. Hare to Ke stands out as the first of them — a model for how to breathe new life into old memories: a symbol of how to breathe new life into old memories.
But is this enough? The question is how effective these small efforts will be when the country is suffering from an aging population, with hundreds of schools closing every year.
However, Hare to Ke offers a new hope. Guests can relax in a renovated classroom, exploring the balance between the ancient Japanese concepts of ‘hare’ (symbolizing festive life) and ‘ke’ (symbolizing everyday life).
Here, guests can listen to the bellowing of deer, sleep among the trees, and wake up in the mountain air. This destination is all about sleep! An innovative program called ‘Sleep Trip’ has been launched to provide relaxation. The sounds, the aromas, the herbal teas, the silence of nature… all this will put guests in complete rhythm.
The people of the Nishi-Awa region around Miyoshi have been cultivating terraced crops on steep slopes for four centuries, preserving their indigenous culture. Hare to Kei is committed to teaching its guests about their way of life, food culture, and ceremonies.
The place takes on a new meaning when a former student comes with her niece and shows her a childhood photo, saying, “That’s me!” A school is not just a building – it’s a place of people’s emotions. Hare to Kei re-energizes that connection.
Isn’t it just a restoration? It’s a temple of memories – a place where the life that once existed breathes life again.