Japan's birth rate has been very low for the past decades. The population decreased by more than four million in the past ten years. Especially in rural areas, the lack of children is widely visible. Many schools had to be closed for lack of pupils.
When walking to Atsumi Onsen, we (my son and myself)noticed this building on the opposite side of the river. Or rather at first we saw the former sports ground which was already completely overgrown with vine (nature strikes back, when you let it). We decided to have a closer look. Fortunately, one window was open. Inside, it was a strange scenery. It looked like the school was left in a hurry, because everything, from books to school documents to even two upright pianos still were there. All the clocks stopped at 9:10...