Okayama Prefecture is a wonderland for the haikyo explorers. Nobody would be surprised to meet a little boy there, followed by a talking dog, a monkey and a pheasant. His name is Momotaro and he is on a mission to defeat the yokai on a remote island called Onigashima.

Following ancient roads and going through forgotten villages, we finally arrived at the old School of Sakamoto. We parked in the town and went up the hill where the school was asleep. The entrance was beautiful and the grass was still being maintained, nicely cut even. The cicadas were happily singing around me and I realized that the mountains of Okayama were right in the background, bathing in the warm sunlight of the end of the day.

The doors were all opened and there was no difficulty at all to access the place. The school was built back in 1868 but was probably rebuilt a few times and extended in size.

Haikyo explorers are very attracted to this school: it contains an old 3D anatomical model. This is another thing about urban exploration in Japan: most haikyo has their own specific and almost magical object, room or story. We all wish that nobody take them or alter them; that would be removing the heart of the haikyo.

The school was abandoned in 1994.

HIGHLIGHTS

– 3D anatomical model
– The autumn leaves

FACTS

• 1868-1994