tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606053054967125285.post6912295362466044983..comments2023-09-01T02:10:41.465-07:00Comments on Asian Haiku Travelogue: Fukiya HomesGabi Grevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362456518166174106noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-606053054967125285.post-63378171273530614462012-03-20T14:17:10.256-07:002012-03-20T14:17:10.256-07:00Oldest wooden schoolhouse closes
Japan's olde...Oldest wooden schoolhouse closes<br /><br />Japan's oldest wooden schoolhouse has closed after more than a century.<br />The Fukiya Elementary School in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, was built in 1900. It was forced to close due to a drop in student numbers.<br /><br />The school held its final graduation ceremony on Tuesday, handing diplomas to three six-graders.<br />Each student made a brief speech. One said she will never forget the time she spent with friends in the school building. Another said she is proud to be one of the institution's last graduates.<br /><br />The participants then sang the school song, accompanied by an organ bought the year the schoolhouse was built.<br />Later in the day, the school held a closing ceremony. The school flag was returned to the city's board of education.<br />The schoolhouse will be preserved as a cultural property. A monument bearing the name of the school was unveiled near the front of the building.<br /><br />Tuesday, March 20, 2012<br />http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120320_21.htmlNewshttp://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120320_21.htmlnoreply@blogger.com