New Osaka school to feature adjustable rooftop pool

Oct 25, 2023 | News On Japan

OSAKA - A new state-of-the-art public elementary and junior high school is set to open in Osaka next April.

With a construction budget of 6 billion yen, the new public combined elementary and junior high school will open in the heart of Osaka City, in Nakanoshima, next spring.

The school aims to cultivate a "global perspective" without being bound by "traditional methods." The ground will be made of artificial turf.

The seven-story school building will feature large stairs and communal spaces. A pool will be installed on the rooftop, which will have a unique feature specific to combined schools. The pool's movable floor allows the water depth to be adjusted according to the growth of the students.

In the past decade, the population in the Kita Ward of Osaka City, where Nakanoshima is located, has been increasing yearly. Despite the overall city trend of decreasing numbers of children, there has been an increase of more than 1,600 children in Kita Ward compared to 10 years ago, leading to issues like classroom shortages.

The newly established "Nakanoshima Combined School" has the same tuition fees as other public schools and accepts applicants from all over the city. The school's explanatory session held in October was packed.

Typhoon No. 18 Threatens Okinawa as More Tropical Systems Form

A very strong Typhoon No. 18 is approaching the Daito Islands and is expected to move toward Okinawa's main island and the Amami Islands, while two other typhoons and a new tropical depression are active across waters south of Japan and near Southeast Asia. As of 3 a.m. on August 24, Typhoon No. 18 was over waters south of Japan and moving west-northwest at 30 kilometers per hour. As of 9 p.m. on August 23, Typhoon No. 18 was moving west-northwest at 30 kilometers per hour over waters southwest of the Ogasawara Islands.

Kyoto Expands Night Tourism

Kyoto is stepping up efforts to capture Japan's growing nighttime economy, with Toei Kyoto Studio Park extending its hours to 9 p.m., a new theater drawing visitors near Kyoto Station and nighttime tours expanding in Gion as the city seeks to encourage tourists to stay out longer and explore more areas after dark.

Taiwanese Woman Accused of Pouring Oil on National Treasure

A 39-year-old woman from Taiwan has been arrested on suspicion of pouring an oil-like liquid on the national treasure Buddha Footprint Stone at Yakushiji Temple in Nara in April, police said.

Death Row Inmate Executed for Deadly Pachinko Parlor Fire

Japan executed 58-year-old death row inmate Sunao Takami on August 21 for setting fire to a pachinko parlor in Osaka in 2009, killing five people and injuring 10 others, in the first execution carried out under the Takaichi administration.

Japan to Abolish Cool Japan Fund

Japan's government is moving toward abolishing the Cool Japan Fund, a public-private investment vehicle created to support the overseas expansion of Japanese anime, food culture and other industries, after its cumulative losses reached 54 billion yen.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Education NEWS

Pro-Japan Scanner Rapidly Spreads in South Korea

An unofficial website that allows South Koreans to check whether their ancestors were considered collaborators during Japan's colonial rule is rapidly gaining users, fueling online scrutiny of family histories and attacks on descendants even as public sentiment toward Japan has reached its highest level since surveys began.

British Elite School Chooses Wakayama for Japan Campus

A Japanese sister school of Britain's prestigious Gordonstoun School, whose alumni include King Charles III and his father Prince Philip, is scheduled to open in Wakayama city in September 2027 as a fully residential international school charging annual tuition of about 8 million to 10 million yen.

Experience Gap Widens for Children in Single-Parent Families

As Japan's summer vacation enters its final weeks, concern is growing over an "experience gap" that leaves children from single-parent and financially struggling households with fewer opportunities for travel, leisure and other activities that can shape their development.

Real Madrid Holds First Official Soccer School in Hokkaido

Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid held its first official soccer school in Hokkaido in August, bringing about 90 young players from across Japan to Urakawa, a town of roughly 11,000 people in the Hidaka region, with organizers now considering opening a permanent residential academy there as early as 2028.

Mahjong Finds a New Generation

Mahjong is shedding its long-standing image as a smoke-filled gambling pastime for adults and emerging as a "brain sport" enjoyed by university students and children, with cleaner venues, professional competition and regulatory changes helping broaden its appeal.

Japan's Top University Pushed Into the Red

The University of Tokyo is expected to post a 4.4 billion yen deficit for fiscal 2026, marking its first two consecutive years in the red since becoming a national university corporation in 2004, as inflation, rising personnel costs and long-standing structural constraints place growing pressure on its finances.

Retired Professor Lost Millions in Romance Scam

A 72-year-old emeritus professor at Kagawa University lost more than 9 million yen and even sold his apartment after becoming the victim of a romance scam in which a woman calling herself "Aiko" gradually gained his trust before introducing an investment scheme.

Survivor's Memories Keep Lost Manchurian Settlement Alive

Eighty-one years after the end of World War II, a newly donated book and the testimony of a man who moved to Manchuria as a child are preserving the history of a Japanese settlement known as Hamamatsu Village, whose residents fled advancing Soviet forces after years spent pursuing the promise of a more prosperous life.

< 2 3 4 5 >