Ever since K-On!! first burst through the anime scene and became a major hit back in 2009, the old school building in Toyosato Elementary School in Shiga Prefecture has become a major anime pilgrimage site.
But almost 5 years after the anime first aired, is the school which was used as an inspiration for K-On!! still going strong as an anime hot spot? You can bet on it!
The school still hosts regular birthday parties for K-On!!’s characters including a joint birthday party between Yui and Azusa which featured lots of cake and some cosplay. The school also recently held a birthday party for Mio Akiyama last January 12, 2014.
Toyosato Elementary is still one of the most popular anime tourism spots in Japan today and it can be reflected in its visitors as the school is also attracting cosplayers, photographers and even toy and figure collectors. One of them is a 39-year old figure enthusiast who came all the way from Kanagawa prefecture just to conduct a figure photography session,
The school also provides a wonderful setting for photo shoots, especially for cosplay. Yes, that’s not a shoot for K-On!! but for the classic mecha anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The school building from K-On!! really looks like Toyosato Elementary as the animators from Kyoto Animation have painstakingly recreated the school in detail. Most notable is the Tortoise and the Hare sculptures in the stairs.
Of course, some additions were added after the anime became a hit.
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From Chunichi
School where K-On!! was based on now a popular cosplay and figure photography spot
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