Shogen Junior College, a Buddhist institution in Minokamo, Gifu Prefecture, launched a unique course this month that trains elderly students to become Buddhist priests.

The curriculum targets people in their 50s and 60s, even though they may find some of Buddhism's strict ascetic practices physically challenging. Five men have enrolled in the two-year program.

The college is operated by the Rinzai sect's Shogenji Temple, widely known as the place where former Yomiuri Giants baseball legend Tetsuharu Kawakami completed his ascetic training in the 1950s.