Closed Kobe School Becomes Community Hub

Old & New video

By Ryuzo Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Photographer

15:33 JST, November 2, 2025

KOBE — A closed elementary school has been given new life as a multipurpose complex featuring an aquarium, food court, beer brewery and other facilities.

Nature Studio opened in July 2022 on the site of what was municipal Minatoyama Elementary School in Hyogo Ward, Kobe.

The Minatoyama Aquarium is especially popular. It is on the first floor, which was once home to a science room, library and other special-purpose rooms. About 250 species of fish, birds, mammals and other creatures are displayed at the aquarium, which operates under the concept of “talking with living things.” The aquarium has generated a buzz because visitors can come in close contact with the fish and other creatures while experiencing the vestiges of the old school. About 150,000 people have visited the facility each year since it opened.

Outside, the former schoolyard has been transformed, with areas such as a picnic area filled with grass, blueberries and other plants. A fishing pond, where visitors can catch rainbow trout, has also been built, and any fish caught can be deep-fried and eaten at the venue.

The former gymnasium, which is on the second floor, has been turned into a food court with multiple restaurants, while the former kitchen is now a craft brewery. A preschool and an employment support center are among the other facilities here available for residents, and a new building completed this year houses a bakery, restaurant and nursing care facility.

Minatoyama Elementary School was founded in 1873. In 1899, the school moved to this location, which reportedly was the site of the Yukimi no Gosho villa built near the end of the Heian period (794 to late 12th century) by Taira no Kiyomori, who established the nation’s first military government. The region is rich in nature and the townscape retained an atmosphere of long ago, but the number of children declined year after year. In March 2015, the school was closed, bringing down the curtain on Minatoyama Elementary School’s 141-year history.

The Kobe city government invited local business operators to suggest possible uses for the closed school site. The winning proposal was put forward by a group including a local construction company owned by Takehide Murakami, a former student of the school. The theme behind the proposal was “creating a lifestyle with nature.”

“The school had always been at the heart of this community,” Murakami said. “By retaining and using the buildings, I hope we can keep our community spirit alive and create excitement here.”

Children’s voices have finally returned to the facility, delighting residents.

“I want to come back again and again,” one resident said.

The aquarium is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed irregularly. Admission is 1,200 yen for adults, 600 yen for elementary and junior high school students, and 300 yen for preschoolers aged 3 and older. Annual passes also are available.