In 1989, Mizuno and Yamashita met by chance while they were in the first grade; they were both put in charge of being Ikimono-gakari (いきものがかり), who are caretakers of the school's plants and animals.
Pada tahun 1989 , Mizuno dan Yamashita bertemu secara kebetulan ketika mereka berada di kelas pertama; mereka berdua ditugaskan menjadi Ikimono-gakari (生き物 係? ), yang merupakan perawat tanaman dan hewan di sekolah.