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K-On! Model School to Host Battle of the Light Music Bands

The final stage for Toyosato Keion Koshien, a nationwide high school light music band competition in Japan, will be held at the real-life model for the K-ON! anime's school on November 19. The anime and kakifly's original manga followed an all-female high school band, and both helped spur the popularity of light music bands throughout Japan.

Similar to the Koshien high school baseball tournaments that are national institutions in Japan, the former campus of Toyosato Elementary School in Shiga Prefecture will host this battle of the bands from schools all over Japan. Bands have until October 21 to submit demo tapes with K-ON! songs and their own music selections for the preliminary rounds of the competition. Five bands will advance to final round, which professional bands and the local chamber of commerce will judge. The winning band can perform at the Toyosato Anime Song Live concert on the same campus the day after the competition.

In 2009, Kyoto Animation modeled the K-On anime's fictional Sakuragaoka High School after the Toyosato campus, which was being repurposed since new school facilities were built. 50,000 fans now visit the campus every year, and over 1,000 goods have been put on display.

Toyosato previously hosted a concert of anime songs in 2009. The Shirouto Meikan television variety program scouted real high school bands to find a "live-action" K-ON for a June episode, and television host Danny Choo filmed a similar premise last year.

The K-ON! anime film sequel will open in Japan on December 3.

Source: Kyoto Shimbun via Yaraon!

Update: More information about the preliminary rounds and post-competition concert added.