British Hills - A Little Bit of England in Fukushima
One of the last places you'd expect to find traditional English culture
is the remote mountains of Tenei-mura. Yet since 1994, visitors to the
area have been able to experience their own little piece of England, in
the form of 'British Hills' a British-themed educational and cultural
complex. The buildings and interior have been painstakingly recreated
in the style of a traditional English village, with no expense spared
- even much of the furniture and decorations have been imported from England.
So what is it used for?
British Hills was designed as a facility where Japanese people can experience
life in a foreign country without going overseas. School trips, English
training camps, or even curious individuals can stay in the spacious manor,
take special English classes, or enjoy fish and chips and many different
types of beer in the traditional English pub on site. There are over 30
foreign staff from England, Australia, New Zealand and Canada (it's part
of the commonwealth, I guess), with all business being conducted in English.
Among the many facilities on site are a gymnasium, spa, chapel, library,
classrooms, refectory, craft house and snooker room, just to mention a
few.
Among the many rooms available at British Hills, there are 2 suites which
are particularly luxurious. Spending a night in 'His Majesty' or 'Her
Majesty' suite will set you back around 250,000 yen. Due to the rather
prohibitive price, the rooms are mostly used for display purposes, as
well as for photography and movie shoots - although the rooms do get booked
a couple of times each year, according to the manager.
British Hills is well worth a visit, and sure to delight your students
if you're looking for a destination for a school trip.
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