Shirahata Elementary School in Kosa Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, became the talk of the town as the school held a special class inspired by the One Piece manga on June 28, 2024.
Organized by Shueisha, the publisher of One Piece, the program is part of a nationwide initiative aimed at integrating career education with cultural appreciation.
Since its inception last year, the program has visited one school in each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, encouraging students to explore their dreams through the lens of the beloved manga series.
The special class at Shirahata Elementary School commenced with the homeroom teacher guiding the students through the program, starting with a review of the One Piece storyline.
The focus was how the characters in the manga hold onto big dreams and cherish their pirate flags as symbols of those dreams.
Students were then divided into groups and encouraged to write down pieces of their dreams. This included their personal interests, career aspirations, and future goals. After which they shared and discussed each other’s strengths within the groups.
Following this, the students illustrated their pirate flags with tools and symbols related to their future ambitions. They made declarations such as “I want to become a hairdresser” and “I will work hard to achieve my dream,” mimicking Luffy’s dream to become a pirate.
Source: Kumanichi Shimbun