All eleventh graders undertake an individual research project.
Each student chooses an area of interest, takes a year to study it, and writes up a report. The topics chosen have included cloning technology and physical barriers to disabled people in public transport systems. When it was time for Hiroaki Kenmoku to choose a theme for his project, the thought of his grandfather crossed his mind. My grandfather used to be really energetic and loved to go out, but he suffered a stroke and is now confined to a wheelchair. I was looking for ways to take him around, and that got me interested in the idea of reducing physical barriers.