Twinklestars

Sakura Gakuin
Members (from left to right) Sara Kurashima, Tsugumi Aritomo, Yuzumi Shintani, and Maaya Asou in March 2017
Background information
Native name	さくら学院
Origin	Japan
Genres	J-Pop, Japanese Idol
Years active	April 2010 (2010-04)–present
Labels	Toy's Factory (2010–2011) Universal Music Japan (2011–2015) LD&K(subgroup only) Toy's Factory (subgroup only)
Associated acts	Babymetal, Karen Girl's
Website	sakuragakuin.jp
Members	Aiko Yamaide Megumi Okada Maaya Asou Kano Fujihira Marin Hidaka Momoko Okazaki Soyoka Yoshida Tsugumi Aritomo Momoe Mori Yuzumi Shintani
Past members	Airi Matsui Ayaka Miyoshi Ayami Mutō Suzuka Nakamoto Mariri Sugimoto Marina Horiuchi Raura Iida Hinata Satō Nene Sugisaki Moa Kikuchi Yui Mizuno Yunano Notsu Hana Taguchi Rinon Isono Saki Ooga Saki Shirai Sara Kurashima Mirena Kurosawa

Sakura Gakuin (さくら学院^?, lit. Cherry Blossom Academy) is a Japanese idol girl group formed in 2010 by the Amuse talent agency. The group typically contains between 10 and 12 members at a time who fall between the ages of 10 and 15.

Sakura Gakuin employs a line-up changing system in which older members leave the group and new members join each year. Since the group's theme is that of an elementary and junior high school, when a member graduates from junior high, she leaves Sakura Gakuin as well, during a ceremony the group holds around the end of the Japanese school year in which these members "graduate". The group releases a video of this ceremony annually, as well as a yearly album.

The group Sakura Gakuin was created in April 2010 by the talent agency Amuse. In August, the group participated in the Tokyo Idol Festival (TIF) 2010. This was the year when the event was held for the first time. In October 2010, a unit called Twinklestars, consisting of seven girls, was formed. In November, Twinklestars released their first single "Dear Mr.Socrates", which was sold only at live venues. Sakura Gakuin held its first solo event on November 28, 2010. On December 12, 2010, the group released its major debut single "Yume ni Mukatte / Hello! Ivy".

Sakura Gakuin's first album, Sakura Gakuin 2010 Nendo: Message, was scheduled to appear on March 23, 2011, but it was postponed until April 27 due to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. On May 30, came the announcement that Twinklestars were to have a new single, titled "Please! Please! Please!", out on the 6th of July. In August, Sakura Gakuin took part in the Tokyo Idol Festival for the second time. On October 23, 2011, at an event held in Tokyo, it was announced that the group's second single would be called "Verishuvi" and it would be released on December 21 through Universal Music. The new song was performed for the first time exactly one month later, on November 23.