1st Service School Dormitory (Former Naval Academy)

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force 1st Service School (Former Imperial Japanese Naval Academy) is an education and training institution of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. From 1888 (Meiji 21) until World War II, it served as the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy. The Naval Academy was known as one of the world’s three great naval academies, alongside Annapolis in the United States and Dartmouth in the United Kingdom. The 1st Service School is still an active school, but by joining a free, approximately 90-minute guided tour led by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force veterans, visitors can tour the campus. On the guided tour, you will visit highlights such as the Officer Candidate School (the former Student Hall), notable for its British-bond brick exterior walls, and the Education Reference Museum with its Greek temple-inspired design (on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, instead of the Education Reference Museum, the tour visits the main guns of the battleship Mutsu). The Education Reference Museum, which you can explore inside, displays about 1,000 items including the hair of Heihachiro Togo, who distinguished himself in the Russo-Japanese War, as well as letters and personal effects left by members of the Kamikaze special attack units. The tour is conducted in Japanese only, so if you want more detailed explanations, consider arranging an additional guide separately. After the tour, why not try the navy’s famous curry at the on-campus restaurant or pick up souvenirs at the shop?