"Japanese Seniors Whose Children's Middle School Became Their 'Home' [Turning Homes into Senior Houses]"

Classrooms Converted into Rooms, Short-term and Long-term Stays Available
Internal Medicine and Psychiatry Visits, Meals and Bathing Services Included
Japan's Ministry of Education Launches "Minna no Haiko Project"
Subsidies Provided to Businesses Reusing Closed Schools

On December 19 last year, Mariko Yamashita (86), a grandmother at Yashio Nursing Home in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, Japan, during an interview with Asia Economy. Beyond the veranda behind Grandma Yamashita, the playground is visible. Photo by Yujin Park.

"Twenty years ago, I used to watch children carrying their school bags to and from school, and now the classroom where they studied has become my room." Through the window of 86-year-old grandmother Yamashita Mariko's room, the playground was clearly visible. Grandmother Yamashita moved to the 'Yashio Nursing Home' three years ago. Yashiominami Middle School closed, underwent construction, and 14 years ago was transformed into a nursing home with a capacity of 100 people.

Classrooms Turned into Rooms, Gymnasium into Community Space

The first floor of the nursing home is a space where elderly people who need short-term stays stay for a few days. The total capacity is 11 people. Floors 2 to 4 are for long-term residence with shared rooms and private rooms. It can accommodate up to 89 people. Private rooms are about 16㎡ (approximately 5 pyeong), including a bathroom. In shared rooms, partitions are set up between beds to create a private room-like atmosphere.

Most residents are local elderly people. Grandmother Yamashita decided to move in permanently after using the short-term stay service when she fell in the bath three years ago. She said, "My daughter graduated from the middle school that used to be here," and "My daughter now lives about a 15-minute walk away, so she feels reassured because she can visit often since it's nearby."

Traces of students still remain throughout the building. The gymnasium on the third floor is open to local residents. Children use it for free, and general adults are charged 1000 yen (about 10,000 won) for 4 hours. People living in nearby apartments often visit, making it lively on weekends.

On December 19 last year, Haruko Suzuki (90), a grandmother living in a private room on the 3rd floor of Yashio Nursing Home in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, Japan, is sitting in a wheelchair. Photo by Yujin Park

The Yashio district in Shinagawa Ward, where the facility is located, is a bedroom community created by reclaiming Tokyo Bay in the 1980s. Shortly after development, the population reached about 17,000, but now only about 10,000 remain. Last year, the aging rate in the Yashio district was 37%, about twice the overall aging rate of Shinagawa Ward (20%).

Kanno Sugano, head of the Elderly Welfare Division of Shinagawa Ward, said, "The working population has left for the city center to work, and now only the elderly generation, who were the parents of the children at that time, remain in the neighborhood," adding, "Two middle schools and three elementary schools in the Yashio district were consolidated into 'Yashio Gakuen.'"

The idea to convert the closed middle school into a senior facility first came up in 2009. At that time, there were only seven nursing homes in Shinagawa Ward. Although about 500 applications were received annually, the capacity was only about 140 people. The ward office decided to create a nursing facility at Yashiominami Middle School, which closed in 2008. Residents welcomed the news that a space for elderly residents would be created in the neighborhood. Operation was entrusted to the Shinagawa Comprehensive Welfare Center, a social welfare corporation.

The monthly fee is 70,800 yen (about 680,000 won) for shared rooms and 80,280 yen (about 770,000 won) for private rooms. Three meals a day and bathing services are included. An internal medicine doctor visits twice a week, and a psychiatrist visits twice a month for medical care. In addition to support for daily living such as laundry and cleaning, residents can also engage in hobbies like gardening and calligraphy.

Japan Provides Subsidies for Reusing Closed Schools

On December 19 last year, an elderly person is looking out the window from a private room on the 3rd floor of Yashio Nursing Home in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Yujin Park

According to Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, about 450 schools close nationwide each year due to the declining birthrate. This happens frequently not only in rural areas but also in the heart of cities. From 2002 to 2020, over 18 years, Tokyo alone lost 154 elementary schools, 92 middle schools, and 76 high schools. Nationwide, a total of 8,580 schools closed during the same period. Of these, 7,398 buildings remain, and 74% (5,481) are being used for purposes other than schools. Besides elderly facilities like Yashio Nursing Home, they are used as welfare and medical facilities or startup support spaces.

Since 2010, the Ministry of Education has launched the "Minna no Haiko Project" (Everyone's Closed School Project) to promote the reuse of closed schools. This project connects closed schools that are old or poorly located and have no use with businesses. Businesses wishing to utilize closed schools can receive partial subsidies from the central and local governments.

Kanno said, "By utilizing closed schools, you can benefit from free or low-cost leasing of land and buildings," adding, "Japan is a country where 3 out of 10 people are elderly, so the use of closed schools as elderly facilities will increase in the future."