With schools closing left and right amid the nation's declining birthrate, necessity is forcing cash-strapped local governments to come up with creative ways to reuse such facilities, many of which are aging.

Take for example Mikawadai Junior High School in Tokyo's Minato Ward. Its students were incorporated into nearby Jonan Junior High School in 1998 due to a drop in enrollment.

The 45-year-old building has been renamed Minato NPO House and is now home to 27 nonprofit organizations.