Hiroshi Shimazaki quit junior high school in Yoshikawa when his father became ill. After giving up on schooling, he worked at press factories in Tokyo and Yoshikawa but all the while never losing his desire to complete his high school education.
In 2002, Shimazaki sat for the junior high school level examination and passed, thus enrolling him in school once again. (In Japan, merely passing all of your classes at the end of middle/junior-high school does not permit you to continue to the next level; there’s a mandatory exam. Failing it will put you in limbo between grades until the next year’s exam.)
In the last four years, Shimazaki has been driving his truck to school every day without ever being late. He’s been making good grades and his favorite subject is Japanese history. On March 3rd, he and his classmates from Yoshikawa High School ― who are teenagers ― will be graduating.