KOCHI — The town of Niyodogawa, Kochi Prefecture, hosts a "free school" called Ikegawa Shizen Gakuen, where seven second-year and third-year junior high school truants are living together seeking a new way of life with the aid of four staffers.
The late father-in-law of the current principal, Takatoshi Uka, 53, founded the school 20 years ago after quitting as a junior high school teacher.
It has since accepted more than 300 truants from across the country. There are eight wooden buildings, including a two-story dormitory and a dining room, in front of a tea garden.