Shoto Elementary School (Garo Round School Buildings)
The remains of an elementary school in Garo, a district in the mountains of Bibai, Hokkaido, that once thrived as a town of the Mitsubishi Bibai coal mine. At its peak more than 1,800 children attended, and in 1959 and 1960 two round, three-story reinforced concrete school buildings were built. Joined by a connecting corridor, they are said to have looked like a pair of eyeglasses from above. The school closed in 1974 after the mine shut down. Today one round building and the gym remain in the forest, and the ground floor is filled with water. It lies deep in the woods rather than along the road and is not an open facility. The building is crumbling and bears appear in the area, so do not try to get close.
See photos and posts for this place on the LIMap map
Nearby liminal spaces
- Former Mitsui Bibai Gorakukan (Mining-Town Cinema) (6.2 km)
- Asahi Elementary School (Family School Fureai) (28 km)
- Honcho, Yubari (Old Shopping Streets) (29 km)
- Moerenuma Park (48 km)
- Historical Village of Hokkaido (48 km)
- Chateraise Gateaux Kingdom Sapporo (51 km)
LIMap is a map for finding and sharing liminal spaces: places emptied of people that feel eerie and nostalgic at the same time. Many of these places are private or off-limits, so please follow the notes above and view them only from where you are allowed.