This stone monument standing at the corner of a private home marks the location of the first reform school in Japan. Although Osaka was transforming along with the Meiji administration’s modernization of Japan, serious problems remained, such as young workers facing poor working conditions, low wages, and harsh treatment, followed by juvenile delinquency. Yukie Ikegami (1826 – 1891) established the youth reform school in 1883 along with a vocational center where youngsters could gather and learn working skills. Here, attendees learned to craft canes, umbrellas, and soap. The school was closed after Ikegami’s death, but others carried on in her work across Japan. Ikegami was a shining example of a woman who was moved to action long before others in the Meiji period. It was her belief that training the disadvantaged in vocational skills and helping one another was the fastest route to an advanced society.