YAMAGATA -- When Galbadrakh Janchiv returns to his home country later this month, his souvenir from this snowy prefecture will be a lesson for future generations.

The 36-year-old student, currently taking a doctoral course in education at Tohoku University, plans to introduce Japanese educational techniques to Mongolia and build a high school in Ulan Bator.

With friends and acquaintances pitching in to raise money, his ambitious plan is about to break ground with construction starting this month.