A teacher in Japan has a creative way to welcome students to school
Learning Objective: Students will read a short nonfiction article, then practice using a grammar skill featured in the text.
Imagine arriving at school and seeing . . . a big Pikachu on the ground. You look closely. The body of this famous Pokémon character is made entirely of leaves! Some are bright yellow. Others are red or dark brown.
Students recently saw this stunning leaf art outside their high school in Nara, Japan. It was made by their teacher. His name is Hirotaka Hamasaki (hee-roh-tah-kah hah-mah-sah-kee). What subject does he teach? Art, of course.
Hirotaka Hamasaki
Pikachu
Leaves and Flowers
Hirotaka Hamasaki
Kirby
To make his outdoor art, Hamasaki uses leaves in the fall. In the spring, he also works with flower petals. The teacher sweeps up the leaves and flowers from the school’s playground.
Hamasaki has two hopes for his creations. He wants students to be happy to come to school. And he wants them to feel excited about art.
Hirotaka Hamasaki
Winnie the Pooh
At first, few students noticed the leaf art.But soon, many couldn’t wait to see their teacher’s design for the day. Hamasaki has made Pikachu, Kirby, and Winnie the Pooh. He’s also made other characters from children’s books, movies, and video games. And he’s happy to take requests from students.
What character would you want him to make?
This story was originally published in the September 2026 issue.
