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Like many Japanese population centers, Okazaki city is experiencing the early signs of an aging population. One of these signs is the closing down of schools in the more rural regions of the city. As younger families tend to pursue urban centers for better job opportunities, rural communities that tended to survive off of farming and local craftworks tend to age out and disappear. Cities confronting this empty school issue then have three choices to make: Ignore, destroy or repurpose the empty schools. Okazaki city has taken a novel approach to one of their former elementary schools in the Torikawa region of the city. Rather than let the school dilapidate or be destroyed (along with the history of those who once taught and learned in the halls and classrooms), Okazaki city has embraced using the school to promote environmental awareness through one of the hallmarks of Japanese summer – the firefly. Torikawa is situated in a hilly region with a river running past the school. The natural enclave is conducive to having fireflies gather in the summer and the spectacle can be amazing. The school has been completely repurposed to embrace this and is now known as the “Firefly School…