Hello everyone! I recently went on a pilgrimage to a certain anime location, and I’d like to share the photos I took!
This time… I visited a place that makes you want to enjoy some tea after school! 😆
Yes, it’s the famous pilgrimage spot from the hugely popular anime K-On! — Toyosato Elementary School in Shiga Prefecture!
It was my first time visiting, and honestly, I think it might be the most impressive anime location I’ve ever been to.
What amazed me the most was how perfectly everything matched the scenes from the show, as well as the sheer amount of merchandise on display.
As expected from such a well-known series, the quality of the location was absolutely top-notch.
Alright then, let me go ahead and show you the photos I took.
● Toyosato Elementary School – Old School Building, Main Gate
The place where the story begins! This is definitely a spot you just have to take a photo of!
● Statue
The statue is of Tetsujiro Furukawa, who was apparently an alumnus of the school and a major donor.
It seems the school itself was established thanks to his contributions.
● Opening Scene – In Front of the School Building
The school building is great, but the courtyard is also stylish, so having a performance here would look absolutely amazing on camera.
● School Building & Courtyard (Festival Episode Cut)
I found a blog that mentioned you can capture this angle by shooting from the second floor of the auditorium.
Really grateful for the pioneers who share this kind of info.
Thanks to them, I managed to take a really nice shot! ✨️
● Auditorium
Exterior — The tree on the side stands out a bit, but the shape of the building matches perfectly.
Interior — This was the scene of the entrance ceremony. The chairs look like something you’d find in a church.
A shot of the stage from the second floor.
This is the place where they performed during the school festival.
While looking down at the stage from above, I kept thinking, “Man, it’d be amazing if we could listen to Houkago Tea Time perform here…”
And I really started wishing I could attend a school festival in the world of K-On! 😊
● Central Staircase – 1st Floor
This is the staircase that leads up to the clubroom.
It appears so many times in the show, so seeing it in person really got me excited!
● Rabbit and Turtle on the Stairs
At the start on the first floor, the rabbit and turtle stand at the starting line.
Looks like they’re racing to see who can reach the third floor first.
The turtle is giving it his all.
At the landing, the rabbit takes a nap since the turtle is slow and he thinks he has plenty of time.
At the railing on the third floor—goal!
The turtle wins by steadily climbing while the rabbit was sleeping.
It’s said that this little display reflects the founder’s wish for students to “succeed through steady effort,” just like the turtle in Aesop’s fable The Tortoise and the Hare.
I love how they incorporated such a meaningful story into the school’s design.
● Entrance to the Music Preparation Room
We’ve made it to the third floor. Finally, it’s the clubroom area!
When it comes to K-On!, this clubroom is definitely the most iconic spot.
And it’s honestly just like in the anime.
● Music Preparation Room (Light Music Clubroom)
Entering the Light Music Club’s room!
Technically, it’s the music preparation room, but it’s used as the clubroom in the series.
I was lucky enough to have the room all to myself, so I took a version with the door closed too.
On the desks… there were even dishes set out!
Some dedicated fan must’ve arranged this setup. Absolutely incredible.
The desk setup might even be fancier than in the show. 🤣
There’s an actual organ in the room, too.
And when I looked closely at the sheet music on it—there were scores for songs from the series, like Fuwa Fuwa Time.
The attention to detail is insane…!
And on the whiteboard, there are photos of all the Houkago Tea Time members.
It really feels like they’re actually there.
● Music Room
This is the music classroom next door.
The music room and the music preparation room are connected, so you can move between them from inside.
Here’s the view when looking back.
There was a guitar displayed on the stage!
● Water Faucets
Even these match the anime perfectly.
From the courtyard and auditorium to the classrooms and staircases—the entire building aligns with the layout shown in the series.
It’s amazing.
● K-On! Corner
This is the K-On! display area inside the tourist information center.
What’s incredible about this place isn’t just how perfectly the school matches the anime, but also the enormous amount of K-On! merchandise and instruments they have displayed here.
Rows and rows of guitars.
Lots of signed boards.
And the number of figures is absolutely insane.
There’s even an entire Manga Time Kirara section.
They had tons of books—K-On! volumes, other Kirara titles, and even items that look pretty rare nowadays.
Honestly, you could spend an entire day in this corner alone.
● Bonus
・Pop-out Signboard
Right outside Toyosato Station, there’s a bakery—and Mugi-chan was standing right in front of it!
・“The Town of K-On!”, Toyosato
At the bottom of the sign, it says “Toyosato!!” in a logo that is clearly K-On!-style. 🤣
It really feels like the whole town is embracing K-On!, which is awesome.
This time I only visited the school, but there are a lot of K-On! pilgrimage spots in Kyoto as well, so I’d love to check those out someday.
Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end!
※ Some images in this post are used for comparison and research purposes.
All copyrights, including those of the images, belong to the respective creators of the work.
園崎家のモデルとなったこちらの家は集落の中でも特に大きい和田家という家です。
賽銭箱。
