A Transformation Story
NISEKO, Hokkaido — Once on the brink of closure with only nine new enrollees, Niseko High School has experienced a remarkable transformation over the past five years. Now, it is a highly sought-after institution with an application rate of 1.5 times the available spots. The school, which focuses on agriculture and currently has around 100 students, will transition into a full-time comprehensive school emphasizing international and entrepreneurial education starting in the 2026 academic year.
This change has sparked curiosity about how such a transformation was possible. In mid-October, when a reporter from Mainichi Shimbun visited the school after classes had ended, students were seen chatting and playing games in English in a classroom decorated with Halloween ornaments. This scene is part of the “Niseko World Village,” a program that forms the backbone of the international education initiative at the upcoming Niseko High School of International Studies, set to open in spring 2026.
Also known as the “English Village,” this educational facility provides students with opportunities to experience English and other languages. Its placement within a high school is rare in Japan. The Niseko World Village began as a pilot project three years ago and was officially launched in April 2025 after classroom renovations. The concept is a “space for international exchange open to the community.” On the day of the visit, six students interacted with four English-speaking adults, including an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), creating an intimate setting for language practice—something larger schools cannot likely offer.
“I’ve become able to communicate in English by coming here every day. It’s fun to finally understand what the ALTs are saying,” says Moe Kitagawa, a 16-year-old second-year student, reflecting on her progress.
Addressing Youth Migration and School Consolidation
Niseko High opened in 1948 as a branch of Kutchan Agricultural High School, catering to students working on farms. However, as local children showed less interest in farming and more in university education, many left for urban areas. Enrollment dwindled to around 20 students per academic year, half the capacity, and dropped to nine in 2020, putting the school at risk of consolidation.
To reverse this trend, the town government decided to establish a full-time comprehensive school that could attract more students and support the pursuit of higher education through increasing teacher numbers. Principal Hajime Motoya, who took office in 2023, partnered with the town to develop a new vision for the school, focusing on international education by leveraging the area’s characteristics.
Niseko is one of the world’s top winter resorts renowned for its powder snow, and over 10% of its population of approximately 5,000 are foreigners. Through the World Village program, Niseko High has seen new faces during after-school hours and on events, such as students from nearby Niseko Junior High School and international residents.
Eri Kato, a staff member in charge of the World Village, emphasizes, “We aim to be a comfortable gathering place where diverse people from both inside and outside the school can interact. Students come here for various reasons — homework, games, casual chats or career counseling — and in doing so, they develop not only language skills but also an international perspective.”
Expanding Opportunities for Students
Students also have numerous opportunities to study abroad, with partnerships with institutions such as YTL International College of Hotel Management in Malaysia and universities in Taiwan. Many students take part in study tours, mutual internship placements, and short-term study abroad programs.
Implementing reforms while keeping school open has been a key focus. The robust international program has attracted students from within and outside the town. Pirika Kunii, a 17-year-old second-year student from the Hokkaido town of Toyako, said, “I studied in Taiwan during junior high school, and I chose Niseko High as my next step because of its rich network of overseas partner universities.” In 2024, she participated in a six-day study tour in Taiwan, surveying the “linguistic landscape” of street signs and other signage.
“I compared it to Niseko, where efforts for multilingual signage and landscape preservation are advancing, and presented my findings. I want to experience more foreign languages and cultures, and study abroad after graduation,” Prikia said with a smile.
The school also offers entrepreneurship education, with initiatives such as “after-school startups,” allowing students to develop business ideas with local firms’ support, and “Niseko studies,” a unique curriculum exploring topics through the lenses of sustainable development goals, science, tourism, and management.
To attract diverse students, Niseko High has become one of the designated institutions accepting students through the “Chiiki Mirai Ryugaku” program, which enables high school enrollment beyond prefectural boundaries.
Community Support and Future Plans
The school’s reforms have drawn attention, with 58 applicants this year and an admission rate of 1.5 times, making it one of the most competitive public schools in Hokkaido. The new school plans to expand capacity to 70 despite declining birth rates in the country.
Principal Motoya explained the purpose of the swift reforms, saying, “Simply promoting the new school’s appeal by saying ‘This is the kind of school we are’ after it opens won’t win back students. Unless the school undergoes a fundamental transformation while still operating, it will be meaningless.”
Community support with new dormitory
Motoya aims to cultivate students’ “civic pride” — a sense of pride and attachment to local communities. He said, “I hope that the three years spent here will be a time for them to develop affection not only for Niseko but for the communities where their roots lie. People who feel affection will eventually give back to those communities. That becomes the force that prevents communities from declining.”
The town shares this commitment to education as a means of community preservation. Tatsuzo Kataoka, who became the municipal education board’s superintendent in 2020, stresses the importance of maintaining the town’s only high school, stating, “We wouldn’t realize how important the high school is until it’s gone — and by then it would be too late.”
To accommodate the growing student population, the town government decided in 2024 to build a new dormitory for the high school. The construction cost is 1.2 billion yen (about $7.6 million), and even with subsidies, the town’s burden is significant. However, Kataoka explained the background for the support, saying, “The education board, the mayor, and the municipal assembly are all aligned in wanting to keep the school in operation. Many areas have seen local schools close due to poor cooperation with municipalities, but Niseko High School is town-run, making collaboration easier.”
Having worked as a high school science teacher on remote islands and in small schools within Hokkaido, he has firsthand experience of the challenges and importance of school reform.
“For example, when the eldest son of a two-child family leaves a local town for high school and the younger son follows suit, the parents often move away too. If there’s no high school in a town, families with children will leave there,” he explained.
Based on the belief that “community building is people building, and people building is community building,” Kataoka and the town believe that “the endeavors of Niseko High School of International Studies will support Niseko’s future.”
