Many historic buildings which have been used in movie and dramas
The First Service School is included with America’s Annapolis and the United Kingdom’s Dartmouth as the world’s 3 great naval academies. Ceremonial Hall has a capacity of 2000 people and is the site where the entrance and graduation ceremonies are held. Constructed from granite from the Seto Inland Sea, it has retained its original appearance from over 90 years ago. The Students’ Hall, also known as The Red Brick Building, was designed by a British architect, and has a beautiful appearance that belies its age of over a century. In the spring, cherry blossoms appear everywhere, and including the school buildings surrounded by grass, the entirety of the academy grounds is enveloped in a commanding atmosphere that is enough to make one stand up and take notice.
Valuable exhibits inside the Naval History Museum
The Naval History Museum which has the Greek temple style of an art gallery was built thanks to the donations of alumni. Inside the museum, there are 16,000 historical artifacts of which about 1,000 are on display. There is valuable information including the writings of Kaishu Katsu whose contributions led to the surrender of Edo Castle at the end of the Edo Era, and information on the war hero Lt. Colonel Takeo Hirose. The final testaments of the people in their teens and twenties who became kamikaze pilots are heartrending. Hats are to be removed and photography is forbidden inside the museum in respect to the exhibits.
The annual summer festival
The First Service School is also the place for the largest summer festival in Etajima City. There are live performances by the naval band and Bon dancing along with servings of food and plenty of participatory events which include a cruise upon Etajima Bay. Past sunset after 7pm, a destroyer is illuminated and there is the Etajima Bay Fireworks Festival which includes 2000 fireworks.