Former Kaichi School

The Former Kaichi School is an educational building in Nagahama with wooden construction, high ceilings, and large windows that blend Japanese and Western design elements. The structure displays what school buildings looked like in mid-19th century Japan and what learning spaces were available to students.

The school building opened in 1876 after Japan's education system underwent major reforms and schools had to be built to new standards. It represents a turning point in Japanese school architecture because it systematically combined Western and traditional building methods for the first time.

The building shows how schools looked and functioned in that era, with classrooms demonstrating how children learned during the Meiji period. The spaces preserve a chapter of Japanese education history that visitors can experience directly today.

The site is straightforward to visit and the rooms are easy to walk through since the building is not too large and well organized. Plan to spend several hours exploring the classrooms thoroughly and taking in all the displays.

The building was designed by a master carpenter who blended traditional woodworking techniques with Western building principles in an innovative way. This mix of craftsmanship and foreign ideas was uncommon in Japanese buildings of that era.