According to IT Media, Toyosato Elementary School, the school that was used as the model for Sakuragaoka High School in the anime “K-On!”, has entered into the “Registered Tangible Cultural Properties” heritage list compiled by the Cultural Ministry of Japan. The school building was built in 1937 according to the design of William Merrell Vories, an American architect. The school’s future was uncertain when K-On was aired as it was marked for dismantlement by the town of Toyosato after the elementary school moved to a new campus in 2004 and the supporters of the town’s decision and the opposition had engaged in dispute ever since. After the success of the anime and the arrival of large number of fans at the school, the preservationists succeeded in halting the dismantlement plan. The school was listed in the report submitted last September for consideration to enter the heritage list.
Official website of Toyosato Elementary School: http://www.toyosato-elschool.net/
Source: IT Media
