MIURA, Kanagawa Pref. -- Rika Ariyoshi has a desk waiting at her local school in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward.

But for now, the bubbly, plump fourth-grader is one of 16 primary school students from the ward who, for reasons such as health, have opted to take a break from their mainstream education.

Today Ariyoshi, two months into her one-year health hiatus, is putting her new found fishing prowess into practice. She has hauled in three fish, the most among pupils and teachers participating in the one-hour excursion to a nearby fishing spot.