It's cherry blossom season in the Kanto region, and Tokyo and its surroundings are full of blooming sakura. To revitalize the local economy, Ogawa Town holds a cherry blossom festival every year at the sacred site of Non Non Biyori—the Former Shimozato Branch of Ogawa Town Ogawa Elementary School. Since the school has long been closed and is not usually open to the public, this event is the only real "school open day" of the year. If you miss it, you have to wait until next year. So I had been planning this anime pilgrimage since last year.

On April 6, 2025, the weather was cloudy. Today I visited a closed school in Ogawa Town, Saitama Prefecture, Japan—the sacred site of the anime Non Non Biyori: the Former Shimozato Branch of Ogawa Town Ogawa Elementary School.

About the Work

Non Non Biyori is a slice-of-life anime and manga series set in rural Japan. The original work was created by Atto, serialized in Monthly Comic Alive, and the anime was produced by SILVER LINK. It has aired several seasons since 2013 and has been loved by countless viewers.
The story is set in the fictional countryside "Asahigaoka, Ogawa Town," where there are no convenience stores or traffic lights—only the changing natural scenery and a quiet, slow-paced daily life. The main characters are children attending a rural school with only five students, including Hotaru Ichijo, a fifth-grader who transferred from Tokyo; the innocent Renge Miyauchi (Renge); the calm Natsumi Koshigaya and her older sister Komari Koshigaya; and the adorable younger brother Suguru Koshigaya.
The work has no dramatic plot or exaggerated conflicts. Instead, it depicts the children's everyday moments in the fields, by the river, in the classroom, and at home, painting a gentle, healing, and heartwarming picture of rural life. The serene scenery, warm relationships, and unhurried pace make this work a representative of "wanting to go to the countryside and unwind for a few days" for many people.

About the Former Shimozato Branch of Ogawa Town Ogawa Elementary School

The Former Shimozato Branch of Ogawa Town Ogawa Elementary School is located at 824 Shimozato, Ogawa Town, Hiki District, Saitama Prefecture. It is a wooden school building with a traditional appearance. The school was founded in 1874 (Meiji 7), and the current building was newly constructed in 1964 (Showa 39). Due to a decrease in the number of school-age children in the area, the school was suspended in 2003 (Heisei 15) and officially closed in 2011 (Heisei 23).

The Journey Begins

Ogawamachi Station

From Ikebukuro, take the Tobu Tojo Line for about an hour to reach the destination station—Ogawamachi Station.

You can tell from the station that this is a quiet town.

Then take the bus from platform 1 to Shimozato Bus Stop, and walk another 15 minutes to reach the sacred school destination.

While waiting for the bus, I went to the tourist information center. As soon as I entered, I saw the promotion for this season's new anime.

Unfortunately, the tourist information center didn't have any Non Non Biyori elements.

Scenery Along the Way

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1J6diYmE8w

Is this really the countryside?

During this 15-minute walk, I could really feel the peaceful atmosphere of the countryside.

Arriving at the School

Right away, they kindly guided us to where the original work's sacred sites are.

Since today was the cherry blossom festival, many people came. Although there were quite a few original fans, I felt there were more locals, and many of them were likely graduates of this school.

Overall, the school is not very large.

Starting the Anime Pilgrimage

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1K7411P7Eb

Next, I recommend playing this BGM for a better experience!

School Building

Comparing, it seems the anime expanded the size of the school?

You can even find the school name sign from the original work in a corner!

Old Tire

There were so many people today.

Compared to the original, the swing is not in this area in reality.

Swing

The swing has been out of repair for years and is prohibited for use.

Corridor

In reality, the corridor is missing the bucket.

A nostalgic mixed-grade system.

In the broadcast room, they were playing the BGM from the anime Non Non Biyori on a loop. It felt so familiar! That BGM is still lingering in my mind.

Classroom

Luckily, I caught a moment with no people and quickly took this panoramic photo without any passersby.

The moment I entered the classroom, I was so moved I almost cried.

Next door, there was a class reunion going on, so I didn't disturb them.

Some detail photos.

The blackboard area.

If you look closely, you can even see "喵帕斯" (the catchphrase "Nyanpasu") written in Simplified Chinese. It seems many fans from mainland China have left messages or signatures!

And there was a very recent signature from a Bilibili creator. Searching by that name, I found his pilgrimage video:

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1aGQaY1Ejr

It seems that if you can meet the administrator at the school, you might be able to enter even outside the cherry blossom festival.

Fan Guestbook

Between the classroom and the corridor, there is a guestbook that can be found at almost every pilgrimage site.

You can see messages from fans of the original work from various countries.

Cherry Blossom Viewing Time

Since it was a cherry blossom festival, of course I had to enjoy the blossoms.

This school has so many cherry blossom trees, and they are really beautiful.

Although the school has closed, at least the spring cherry blossoms must still remain in the hearts of every student from those days!

Anime Pilgrimage Video

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Qm5vzMEzY/

Conclusion

That's all for this anime pilgrimage.

Since the school is not large, if you only look at the school, I think it would take at most an hour. I recommend combining it with other local attractions.