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Discovering Toyama's Appeal Taking Advantage of School Closures, Hokuriku Shimbun Launches "Rescola"
On June 15, the Hokuriku Shimbun held "ReSCHOLA," an event to rediscover Toyama's appeal by repurposing a closed school facility as a restaurant. The event took place in the gymnasium of the former Omachi Elementary School in Toyama Prefecture.
ReSCHOLA is a project linked to a 20-page special insert produced by the Hokuriku Shimbun during the May All Japan Advertising Agencies Association conference. Against the backdrop of the problem of schools within the prefecture closing or being abandoned due to declining birthrates, aging populations, and population decline, this initiative attempts to reuse closed or abandoned schools as restaurants for one day only. The name combines "restore," the origin of the word "restaurant" meaning "recovery," and the Latin word "schola," meaning "school."
The first event took place at the former Ōmachi Elementary School, which closed in 2018 due to the consolidation of four schools. Fifty participants, selected from a lottery with five times the number of applicants, all took part.
The venue's interior was designed by a local design team. Collaborating with furniture stores from Toyama Prefecture and Kanazawa, along with up-and-coming florists, they created an original dining space effectively utilizing indirect lighting and plants. Elements like using ping-pong tables as dining tables also evoked a "school-like" atmosphere. On the front screen, artist nakaban performed a live illustration and typography show, expressing each dish through text and drawings, synchronized with a musical piece composed by musician Kaitaro Abe, inspired by the served dishes.
Gymnasium Transformed into Unique Dining Space
The culinary concept is "local chefs who know Toyama inside out and chefs invited from outside the prefecture each create new menus themed around the same seasonal ingredients to complete a single course." Hideji Taniguchi, owner-chef of Toyama City's restaurant "Revo," and Teruhiko Saito, proprietor of Tokyo Shibuya's wine bar "Ahiru Store," alternately served three dishes each featuring Toyama Bay white shrimp, followed by one dessert each to conclude. The wines paired with the dishes were selected by Shigeki Ikesaki, proprietor of Toyama's wine bar "alpes."
Toward the end, Mr. Taniguchi summarized, "This event inspired me to visit Uozu's museums and aquariums, making me fall in love with Uozu and feel Toyama is an even more charming place." Mr. Saito added, "I'm happy to have participated in this avant-garde endeavor," prompting a wave of applause from the audience.
Lescolla, branded as "Toyama Learning Restaurant = Toyama School Closure/Abandoned School Reuse System," plans to hold one event per season going forward. Mr. Yoshiya Ishida of the Sales Department at the Tokyo Branch of the Hokuriku Shimbun stated, "As one way to revitalize the region, we thought about opening a restaurant in a 'school' filled with local people's memories. As a community-focused newspaper, we want to not only communicate about regional revitalization but also take on challenges with an eye toward solving problems. The utilization of closed and abandoned schools is becoming a nationwide issue. We hope this event sparks discussions where local residents take ownership and become actively involved."
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