The , previously the , was a Japanese international high school located in
Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire
Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire (, literally ''Saint-Cyr on Loire'') is a Communes of France, commune in the department of Indre-et-Loire in central France.
It is located northwest of Tours on the other side of the Loire. It is the third largest city in the ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, near
Tours
Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...
Konan University
is a university on the slopes of Mount Rokkō in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Japan. It was founded by business tycoons of major companies for their children. A private university with approximately 10,000 students, it offers a wide variety of progra ...
, and therefore was an overseas branch of a Japanese private school, or a ''
Shiritsu zaigai kyoiku shisetsu
''Zaigai kyōiku shisetsu'' ( 在外教育施設 'Overseas educational institution'), or in English, Japanese international school or overseas Japanese school, may refer to one of three types of institutions officially classified by the Ministry ...
'' ( 私立在外教育施設). The school, which had both junior high school and senior high school departments, had over 600 students. The school building was located on a plot of land. The school also maintained an dojo.
During the school's existence, some students were from Japanese families living in Paris.Conte-Helm, Marie. '' The Japanese and Europe: Economic and Cultural Encounters'' (Bloomsbury Academic Collections).
A&C Black
A & C Black is a British book publishing company, owned since 2002 by Bloomsbury Publishing. The company is noted for publishing ''Who's Who'' since 1849 and the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' between 1827 and 1903. It offers a wide variety of boo ...
, December 17, 2013. , 9781780939803., p 85 At the time of closing the school's director was Osamu Yokoyama (横山 理 ''Yokoyama Osamu''). As of 2012 the school's operating budget exceeded 3 million euros annually.
History
The school opened in 1991. Yokoyama said that the school was created to accommodate children of Japanese business executives stationed in Europe. Yokoyama said that the president of the Konan Foundation chose to station the school in France because he wanted to give the students the dream as taught by Descartes and because he was a
Francophile
A Francophile is a person who has a strong affinity towards any or all of the French language, History of France, French history, Culture of France, French culture and/or French people. That affinity may include France itself or its history, lang ...
. As of 1991 the school had 240 Japanese students. In its English classes and extracurricular classes such as music and sports, the school also served 320 French students, and the Japanese and French students intermingled in these special classes.Rutman, Jessica. "At Home Abroad." ''
Look Japan
was an English language magazine published from Japan. It was created to introduce Japanese culture to expatriate foreigners who were unfamiliar with the country.
History and profile
''Look Japan'' was established in 1953 by Takenori Kimura (木 ...
, Volume 37, Issues 421-432''. Look Japan, Limited, 1991. p 42 " ..nother, for Japanese students wishing to mix with their French peers, is Lycée Konan, a branch of Konan Gakuen of Kobe. At the international school opened in Saint Cyr sur Loire last year, Japanese students numbered 240, and they joined 320 French students for such extracurricular activities as music and sports, as well as for English classes."
Due to an economic crisis in Japan, the number of students at the school decreased. In 2010 the foundation decided to close the school and entered negotiations with the commune of
Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire
Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire (, literally ''Saint-Cyr on Loire'') is a Communes of France, commune in the department of Indre-et-Loire in central France.
It is located northwest of Tours on the other side of the Loire. It is the third largest city in the ...
on what to do with the land. In 2012 the school announced it was closing effective Spring 2013. Yokoyama said that the school was closing due to economic reasons. The commune acquired the property for 1.5 million euros, and the school donated its dojo to the city. On Tuesday 23 October 2012 the ''député-maire'' (a mayor who is also a member of the
National Assembly of France
The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...
) of the commune,
Philippe Briand
Philippe Briand (born 26 October 1960 in Tours) was a member of the National Assembly of France. He represented the Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019 ...
, signed the deed to the facility.
Student life
The school maintained separate dormitories for boys and girls and the dormitories had dedicated house parents.寮生活 " ''Lycée Konan''. 13 February 2010. Retrieved on 3 January 2014.
Lycée Français International de Tokyo
The Lycée Français International de Tokyo (LFI Tokyo, ''Tōkyō Kokusai Furansu Gakuen'') is a French international school in Tokyo with over 1550 students representing more than 65 nationalities. The school consists of a kindergarten, an elemen ...
Dailymotion
Dailymotion is a French online video platform, online video sharing platform owned by Canal+ S.A., Canal+. Prior to 2024, the company was owned by Vivendi. North American launch partners included Vice Media, Bloomberg L.P., Bloomberg, and Hears ...