The ASIJ Meguro Gate, once the main entrance to the former campus in Meguro, now stands at the entrance to the Chofu Campus High School student courtyard and is a symbol of ASIJ's long history in Japan — since 1902.

[If anybody knows who these two kids are, please contact us so we can add their names to this picture.]

Meet George Braun & Irene Iwata ('68).

The iron gate was purchased by ASIJ in 1932. In WWII, the Japanese government collected iron in Japan to make bombs and other war material. When they came to get the iron gate at ASIJ, it was not there. The story behind the disappearance is that the Japanese language teacher named Mr. Hashimoto took the gate and buried it in the front yard of the school so that the government could not find it. In remembrance of his deed, the Chofu Campus library has a Japan Collection dedicated to him. 

Are those palm trees on the left? This ain't Hawaii, this is Tokyo!