Former Kaichi School

The Former Kaichi School is one of Matsumoto's most charming historic buildings, a pale, ornate Western-style schoolhouse built in 1876 that ranks among the oldest elementary schools in Japan. In 2019 it became the first modern-era school building in the country to be designated a National Treasure, sharing that highest rank with Matsumoto Castle just a few minutes' walk away, so the city holds two National Treasures within easy reach of each other.

The school dates from the earliest years of the Meiji period, when Japan, newly opened to the world, was eagerly building a modern education system and adopting Western ideas. Kaichi was constructed by a local master carpenter, Seiju Tateishi, who had studied Western buildings in Tokyo and Yokohama and then interpreted them in a distinctive hybrid style known as giyofu, or "pseudo-Western" architecture. The result is enchanting: a symmetrical two-storey building with an octagonal tower, verandas and shuttered windows, its walls finished to imitate stone but actually built with traditional Japanese carpentry and plaster techniques.

The signature detail is the elaborate entrance porch, crowned with a blue-and-white sculpted gable featuring cherubs, dragons and a banner bearing the school's name. Because craftsmen were copying Western motifs from imported prints and illustrations rather than real buildings, the ornamentation has a delightfully imaginative, almost dreamlike quality that captures the optimism and curiosity of early Meiji Japan.

Inside, the building now serves as a museum of education history. Restored classrooms and exhibition rooms display old textbooks, desks, photographs, teaching materials and documents that trace how schooling worked in the Meiji, Taisho and early Showa eras. It is a vivid, human window onto how a rapidly modernising Japan educated its children, and a reminder of the value the community placed on learning, since local citizens helped fund the school's construction.

A notable fact is that the building was actually relocated a short distance to its present site in the 1960s to preserve it, and it has been carefully maintained ever since as a symbol of Matsumoto's proud educational heritage. Its striking looks also make it one of the most photographed buildings in the city.

The experience is compact and easy, taking around 30 to 45 minutes to tour the rooms and admire the exterior. The grounds are flat and the site is close to the castle, so it slots naturally into a castle-area itinerary; note that upper-floor access involves stairs typical of a period building. It is attractive year-round, framed by cherry blossoms in spring and looking especially pretty against snow in winter. The museum is generally closed on Mondays and over the New Year period, and admission is modest, with a combination ticket sometimes available alongside nearby sights.

Getting there is simple. From the east exit of Matsumoto Station it is a flat walk of about 20 minutes north, passing Matsumoto Castle on the way, since Kaichi sits just north of the castle grounds. Alternatively, the Town Sneaker loop bus (north/Kita course) stops close by, and IC cards are accepted on local buses. Pair it with the castle, only a few minutes to the south, for a rewarding half-day of Matsumoto history spanning the samurai and Meiji eras.