Experience the feeling of Harry Potter in Ikebukuro! Jiyu Gakuen Myokokan

Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan is a girls' school founded in Ikebukuro in 1921 by the husband and wife team of Yoshikazu and Motoko Hani. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the most famous architects of the 20th century, and his student, Arata Endo. The school has a fantastical atmosphere, reminiscent of the magical school in Harry Potter, allowing you to experience a different world without leaving Ikebukuro!

A famous Frank Lloyd Wright building remaining in Ikebukuro!

The first exhibition room you come into after entering the reception area in the East Classroom Building of the school is the "Fujin no Tomosha Professor Hani Memorial Room." In one of the small classrooms, there is an exhibition of the women's magazine "Katei no Tomo," which was first published in 1903 by the school's founders, Yoshikazu and Motoko Hani, as well as "Fujin no Tomo," which continues to this day, and an exhibition on the history of Fujin no Tomosha. The East Classroom Building, where this room is located, was completed in 1925

The central building has a prayer hall in the middle and large classrooms on either side. One of these classrooms is called Taliesin. The large classroom is also available for rental for seminars and events, so the tables, chairs, and other equipment are for that purpose

Looking out the window are the classrooms in the west wing. There are two classrooms available for hourly rental, as well as the Wright Library, where you can browse books and materials related to Frank Lloyd Wright

It's like a magic school!? Student cafeteria

Tables and chairs are lined up around a large stone fireplace. This is the student cafeteria. It is located on the mezzanine floor behind the prayer hall in the central building

The spacious space here makes it hard to believe it's a Japanese school. 90 years ago, students enjoyed a hot, home-cooked lunch here. The small room you can see in the back is a dining room that was later added to the east side of the cafeteria because the original one became too small, and other small rooms were added to the north and west sides

What do you think? The windows, the space, and even the furnishings are all unified with a unique geometric design. Doesn't it feel more like you're in a Harry Potter school facility than a student cafeteria at a Japanese girls' school during the Taisho era?

There is a mini museum behind the fireplace. It displays materials related to Frank Lloyd Wright and the preservation work of Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan. Frank Lloyd Wright is a representative 20th century architect who is well known in Japan for designing the former Imperial Hotel

Additionally, the left side of the photo is an open atrium, from which you can look down on the large, open windows of the first floor hall and the tables and chairs lined up in the hall

This is a miniature of Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan on display in the mini museum. You can see the inside of the student cafeteria. The design of Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan has a central building at the center, with classroom buildings arranged symmetrically on either side

How about having tea time in a fantastical hall?

The large windows in the first floor hall face south, filling the entire hall with natural light. On sunny days, the front garden sparkles, creating a truly magical atmosphere

The chairs you can see around the windows are also said to have been designed by Wright. They have hexagonal backs and are based on the same concept as the Peacock Chairs used in the former Imperial Hotel

When touring Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan, we recommend the tour with coffee included. For 600 yen, which is an additional 200 yen on top of the 400 yen admission fee, you can sit in your favorite seat in the hall on the first floor and relax while enjoying coffee or tea and sweets

You can see cherry blossom trees outside the window, and the view is especially beautiful during the spring cherry blossom season. Each season, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, unfolds outside the window like a painting. Is there anywhere else more fantastical than this, just a five-minute walk from JR Ikebukuro Station? This is surely one of the best tea spots in Tokyo

This is a classroom at the western end of the central building. This is the room where Jiyu Gakuen's first entrance ceremony was held. The rough walls still remained and it had not even been painted. It is currently used as a PR room to introduce Jiyu Gakuen's education

How was it?

Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan, which survived the Great Kanto Earthquake and the air raids of World War II, still stands in Ikebukuro and was designated an Important Cultural Property by the national government in May 1997. It's hard to believe it was designed 96 years ago, and its fantastical space is perfect for a date or a girls' tea time!

INFORMATION

Jun Nambara

Writer, screenwriter, animation producer. He wrote and directed the drama CD ``The Rose of Versailles,'' supervised by Riyoko Ikeda, and has written many books, including ``Onmyoji ``Abe Seimei'' (Futami Shobo). He is also attracting attention as a travel writer who works as a tour conductor on weekends. His hobby is visiting the sacred places of anime, dramas, and movies.