A closed elementary school in Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture, has been repurposed into a glamping site in a broader trend across Japan where shuttered public schools are being converted into various facilities due to the country’s declining birthrate.
Known as Glamping & Port Yui, the facility opened in March 2022, one year after Yui Elementary School ceased operations.
Surrounded by tea fields and located roughly 15 minutes from the Tomei Expressway interchange, the site now hosts guests in dome tents and pet-friendly units set up on the former schoolyard.
Iwa Connect Co., based in Shimada, operates the facility under a 20-year lease with the local government. According to Iwa Connect President Kazuhiro Fukazawa, the venture fills a hospitality gap in the region.
“Business hotels account for the bulk of the available accommodations in Shimada,” he said. “There used to be few facilities where families could stay.”
The glamping site achieved an 80 percent occupancy rate in its first year despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and sustained around 70 percent occupancy through the following two summers.
About 80 percent of visitors are from outside the prefecture, with many coming from Tokyo, Aichi, and Kanagawa.
The facility makes use of many of the original school buildings, according to a report by The Asahi Shimbun. The reception area is located in the former library, where remnants of the school, including the lyrics of its song, remain on display.
Guests can use the gymnasium for sports or take part in workshops that involve making matcha-flavored sherbet in test tubes in the old science and home economics rooms.
A community space on the property also regularly hosts markets featuring locally produced vegetables and regional products.
For outdoor hospitality professionals, the successful reuse of public infrastructure, such as school buildings, highlights a viable model for site development in regions facing depopulation or underutilized public assets.
Leveraging existing infrastructure not only lowers startup costs but can also generate local economic activity while preserving a sense of community identity.
This adaptive reuse can be particularly valuable for business owners exploring alternative lodging formats that meet demand from urban residents seeking nature-based getaways with added amenities.