December 05, 2025
【Sustainable Japan Special Award】Necchu Gakuen, GIA
The General Incorporated Association Necchu Gakuen began in 2015 with the revitalization of a closed school building in Takahata, Yamagata Prefecture. The idea was to create a learning space for adults — Necchu Elementary School — bringing together volunteer teachers from various fields.
Today, the Necchu School project has since expanded to 16 locations; 15 across Japan and one in Seattle, with 350 volunteer instructors and about 1,000 students.
Our motto is “See the world again through the eyes of a 7-year-old.” Each school is operated independently by people engaged in their local community, encouraging participants to rediscover curiosity and reimagine life in regional areas.
Despite our efforts, the concentrations of population and opportunity in Tokyo have not changed, prompting us to seek new ways to connect urban and rural areas. In September 2023, we launched Shoku no Necchu Elementary School (“School of Food”) in Tokyo, led by Principal Kotaro Kashiwabara, to link urban consumers with rural producers through shared learning.
Each six-month term enrolls about 100 students, and monthly lectures feature guest teachers from rural areas, including the Noto Peninsula.
Students also join unique tours visiting local producers and chefs — 34 tours to 24 municipalities so far — designed to foster mutual understanding between consumers and producers. Encouraged by this award, we plan to expand our activities beyond Japan, starting with Seattle, to connect regional communities with metropolitan and overseas audiences.
Reason for the award:
Launched in 2015 with government revitalization grants, the Necchu School project has since expanded to 16 locations, totaling 15 across Japan and one in Seattle. It presents a pioneering model that fuses lifelong learning with regional revitalization, addressing social issues such as depopulation and the closure of rural schools.
By transforming former school buildings into hubs of education and community, Necchu School creates spaces where people of different generations and professions — from business leaders and farmers to homemakers — learn and interact. These encounters often spark new businesses, projects and collaborations. The schools, spread from Hokkaido to Kyushu, operate independently while sharing a unifying philosophy, forming a “satoyama platform*” that strengthens regional identity and cultural expression.
Incorporating local traditions and products into programs, the initiative also helps external participants engage with the distinct charm of each region. This approach ensures the schools are not only centers of learning but also catalysts for solving local issues and generating new opportunities.
By reconnecting people with place and weaving education into community-building, Necchu School represents a unique model of social education plus regional regeneration. Its success offers valuable lessons in sustainable development for both Japan and the world.
