The first thing you notice about the students at Musashino Higashi Secondary Vocational School is their uniforms. No matter the subject -- be it gymnastics or computer science -- the learning is done in a light-blue tracksuit.

That a healthy mind can only exist within a healthy body is an old Japanese tenet of education. Kiyo Kitahara, who developed the method of education on which the school's teaching is based, made it her guiding principle. The tracksuits, as well being practical attire for working up a sweat and also conducive to creating a comfortable school atmosphere, reflect this emphasis on physical well-being.

But Kitahara's philosophy went beyond this, which is why, after opening her first school, a kindergarten, in 1964, she was considered a controversial figure. Kitahara not only believed formal education should be diversified to include physical training, as well as exposure to the arts, she believed it should be open to all students. When one of her first students was diagnosed as autistic, the child was not turned away but made an integral part of the group.