Retiring Japanese Teacher Got Best Diploma from Students He Taught 14 Years Ago

In Japan, school teachers retire at age 60 and so did Junji Shiono last spring after 36 years of teaching at Aihara High School, Kanazawa. According to Withnews, the class he had taught 14 years before got together and did a most heartwarming thing to commemorate his retirement. Here's an episode to tell all about it.

This bunch of students of his must have liked him when he taught him 14 years ago, though Mr. Shiono doesn't recall anything so remarkable about him then. Anyhow, his students thought so much of him and figured out  a cool plan to have him remember them by.
Shigeru Aono, Eiko Sakai and a few other students of his met time and again to figure out just exactly what that cool plan should be. A little bird told them one day a diploma in commemoration of "dear Mr. Shino's. retirement" should do. They decided to use the best of everything to make the best diploma there is.

The students dispersed in groups looking for the bests: paper to write messages on, brush to write them with, etc. The Team Paper travelled to Echizen to engage a professional to have a special Japanese paper made with watermarks; the Team Brush went to Nara to get hold of a fine traditional brush. Gold leaves were brought from Kanazawa to decorate the diploma.

Since everything has to be the best, they resolved to write the messages on top of the highest mountain of Japan: Mt. Fuji. That they did fine and the diploma was made ready for presentation.

The most amusing part of the plan was to have the entire process of making the diploma recorded on a video and have Mr. Shinono view it alone.The video was titled MAKE HAPPYNING. ( Pardon the unique spelling...)

The day came and their dear teacher was "summoned" to their alma mater on a false reason. Mr. Shiono was shown to a classroom, viewed the video and in came to a group of his students with the diploma.

A student read out a message:

"..........on the graduation day, you cried, remember? 'You guys never listen to me quietly. How come are you so dead quiet today!...... You trusted us all, Mr. Shiono, otherwise we won't be here today...."

Embarrassed, their dear teacher murmured: "I was never this good a teacher to you. You owe your everything today to how you were then yourselves......".