Numahigashi Round Schoolhouse

Hokkaido · Japan · Ruin

Deep in the mining forest, the circular school rots away, where children's voices are said to echo through the abandoned stairwell.

Numahigashi Elementary in the mining town of Bibai received its distinctive circular main building in 1959 and at its peak held over 1,500 miners' children. When Mitsubishi's coal mine closed the community died; the school shut in 1974, and the forest has since swallowed the building, now reachable only on foot through a trackless creek ravine beyond the ski hill. It is counted as Hokkaido's most notorious haunted place: visitors report children's voices, laughter and school songs from the empty corridors, and legend tells of a pupil who vanished here without a trace and was never found. The famed psychic Aiko Gibo is said to have declared the ruin full of spirits after a visit.

FAQ

Where is Numahigashi Round Schoolhouse located?

Numahigashi Round Schoolhouse is in Hokkaido, Japan.