In the 1980s and 1990s, when the country's university entrance exam industry was at its peak, cram school veteran teacher Toshiyuki Sakai would regularly stand in front of a classroom overflowing with students.
"When opening the classroom door, I could feel the heated atmosphere among the students pulsing through the room," said Sakai, 60, who has taught contemporary Japanese writing at Tokyo's Yoyogi Seminar cram school for 32 years.
Amid severe competition for top universities, many parents would send their children to yobiko (cram schools), which provide services for high school students and graduates prepping for university entrance exams.