Kids Web Japan

The view on a clear day is stunning.

The active volcano of Sakurajima in Kagoshima Bay, at the southern tip of Kyushu, is a famous landmark of Kagoshima Prefecture. Obama Elementary School, which is located in Hayato Town in Kirishima City, stands on a hill commanding a view of the majestic volcano, which still sometimes gives off white smoke, and the beautiful coastline.

The school commands views over the sea.

Obama Elementary School was founded 125 years ago in 1880. The three-story schoolhouse has a front yard with date palms, cycads, hibiscus, and other plants found in the tropics. The school has a separate gymnasium, as well as pens and cages for raising rabbits, chickens, and parakeets. There is also a large playground and a swimming pool outside the main gate on the other side of the road. The area around the school is beautiful, with terraced rice fields and scenery that is alive with the colors and sounds of nature throughout the year.

Obama students, with Sakurajima in the background.

Obama Elementary School has just 37 students today, a sharp drop from about 50 years ago, when there were more than 300 children. This reflects a trend in Kagoshima, as well as the rest of Japan, toward fewer children. As a result, third- and fourth-grade students are combined into one class, and fifth and sixth graders are combined into another.