Goodbye Yoshino

After a bout of travelling, the new academic year was upon us once more. Only this time I was one school down. Yoshino, the smallest school in Nanyo, with exactly 20 students in the whole three year groups, has finally been closed down. I have such fond memories of Yoshino, which was the first school I went to when I started teaching. The drive to the school was amazing - passing along mountain after mountain with rice fields and quaint rustic houses along the way.

There was a wonderful sense of community in Yoshino. The students were quite but always engaged. They were one big family, and they welcomed me too. I took part in their sports days, culture festivals, teacher enkais - and it was so calm and unlike all the bigger schools. Despite this, it was most likely not financially worth keeping it open anymore. Nanyo invested in a bright pink school bus to take the remaining children to the much bigger Miyauchi JHS about 20 minutes away. And then there were six. The next year - three more schools (the smallest ones) will close, leaving only the three big ones left. The big ones are great, and the kids are much more confident and the schools is more bustling, but you don't get the same sense of community as the smaller schools (and I have a better chance of remember at least some of their names) so I better start making the most of my time with the rest of the schools!

Goodbye Yoshino! I'll not forget you!

My last visit was in November - it was a bit early for snow, but it makes for some wonderful picture around Yoshino!

The first grade class - no issue with over-crowding!

Someone, whilst cleaning the floors had left a heart shape and rubbed out 'Yoshino' inside it.