Where a Weeping Cherry Keeps Memories Alive

このページを日本語で読む

A weeping cherry tree stands before an old wooden school building in Nagano Prefecture. The former Yamamoto Junior High School was founded in 1949 and closed in 1985 when it merged with neighboring schools — a decision that split the local community. However, the building was left standing, untouched.

The pale pink blossoms of the cherry tree sway softly in the breeze, and the schoolyard is alive with spring. People come and go in their own ways, snapping commemorative photos in new uniforms, walking dogs, and practicing baseball.

*The front entrance of Kinehara School and its cherry tree.*

*A local youth baseball team practices in the former schoolyard.*

Spring in the Schoolyard

About two decades after it closed, residents came together to clean up the building. They renamed it "Kinehara School" after the surrounding area and breathed new life into it. In 2005, it became the first postwar junior high school building in Japan to be designated a national Tangible Cultural Property. Today, it also draws filmmakers, serving as a location for movies and commercials.

Yoshikazu Sasaki, 69, a graduate of the school, laughs when he thinks back on his student days. "I don't remember the cherry tree at all," he admits. It was said to be still a young tree then, nothing like it is now.

*The hallway still conveys the atmosphere of the school as it once was.*

*A classroom with rows of desks and chairs, now used as a location for films and commercials.*

Only when Sasaki returned to his alma mater for his teaching practicum, after having moved away, did he realize he had grown up in a remarkable place. During lunch breaks, he would run around with his students beneath the tree, which had grown noticeably larger by then.

"You don't realize its value until you've left," he says with a quiet smile. "It's just like your hometown."

*Yoshiichi Sasaki, a graduate of Yamamoto Junior High, is also involved in the school's upkeep as head of the Regional Promotion Committee of the Yamamoto Community Development Association.*

A Community Revival

Every spring, local residents gather for a cherry blossom festival, throwing open the school building to visitors. "People light up when they come," a resident says. "We're just glad both the building and the tree are still here."

The cherry tree is estimated to be around 90 years old. In recent years, some branches have stopped flowering. "We need to look after it properly," Sasaki says, "so it can keep blooming for years to come."

Spring is a season of hellos and goodbyes. This cherry tree, now a quiet symbol of the community, watches over the schoolyard waiting to see what this year will bring.