Converting a Closed High School into a Tourist Attraction
A Japanese tourism planning company has attracted attention by launching a 'One-Day School Experience' product. This tourism product allows visitors to experience the life of an actual Japanese high school for just one day.
On the 9th (local time), Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that this "One-Day Student" tourism product was inspired by a Japanese animation series. Amid the global popularity of Japanese manga, the company planned a tour that lets visitors experience one of the most iconic aspects of Japanese culture: high school life.
A one-day "Japanese Student Experience" tour package costing $200 (approximately 280,000 KRW) available only to foreign tourists. SCMP capture
The tourism product is named 'Your High School' and allows foreign visitors to experience the life of a real Japanese high school student for a single day. The price is $200 per night (approximately 290,000 KRW).
Of course, since the tourism product is aimed at foreigners, English is used throughout the school. Actors playing the role of students are also reported to guide tourists in English.
The high school serving as the venue for this tourism product is located in Chiba Prefecture in eastern Japan and is said to be a converted actual high school. This high school was closed last November due to a shortage of students, and the planning company and the local community reportedly organized this unique event to promote tourism and revitalize the local economy.
The tourist course consisted of experiences such as calligraphy and swinging a Japanese sword. Photo by SCMP
At the opening ceremony, attending tourists can choose to wear either Japanese school uniforms or suits. Afterwards, they are assigned to classrooms where they can experience traditional culture such as Japanese language and calligraphy. There is even an experience where visitors wear traditional Japanese clothing and wield a Japanese sword.
Meanwhile, the teachers guiding the students each have unique backgrounds. According to the official website, the homeroom teacher, Hideo Onishima, was once a delinquent student but chose the path of teaching after meeting a mentor who guided him onto the right track.
Before leaving the school, all visitors must clean their classrooms by themselves. Regarding this, the planning company explained, "By experiencing cleaning, we aim to encourage teamwork and emphasize personal responsibility, showcasing the Japanese education system."
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