[Special Feature: 30 Years of SFC] SFC and Me: "But, That's Why SFC"

2020/10/07

"But I'm from SFC." I wonder how many times I've said this line since graduating. After attending Keio Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School, I entered the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies for university. I am a true SFC kid who dedicated all of my student days to that remote area of Fujisawa.

Because I'm one of those people, I'll dare to say it: SFC is the countryside. When I was in university, an Ootoya and a Gyoza no Ohsho opened in front of the nearest station, Shonandai. It caused quite a stir, with people saying, "We've finally taken a step toward becoming a city."

It takes about 20 minutes by bus from the station to the campus, and the only main spot in between is an Ito-Yokado. On rainy days, a savory scent wafts over from a nearby pig farm. In the center of the campus is the so-called "Gulliver Pond (Kamoike)," where ducks swim gracefully, and students often spend their breaks on the surrounding lawn. Because it's hard to walk in heels, most girls' shoes change to sneakers by around their second year of university.

By now, you probably have a general idea of what SFC is like. Yes, it's not the "Keio" that the general public imagines. That's why when someone says, "Oh, Ms. Sekitori, you're a Keio graduate," I reflexively reply, "But I'm from SFC."

However, this "but" might seem self-deprecating, but that is merely a pose; in my heart, I am actually overflowing with pride. This is because the ten years I spent at SFC were undoubtedly irreplaceable to me.

It was the same during junior and senior high school, but what I felt again in university was that SFC doesn't have that atmosphere of a so-called caste system. I think this is truly a wonderful thing.

I was in the only band club at SFC, called the "Former Rock Research Society," and there were all kinds of people there. There were rock lovers, J-POP lovers, visual kei lovers, anime song lovers, and even people who had never really listened to music before.

People with completely different looks and hobbies would hang out in the club room together, and we would even form bands together for the school festival. At the time, I thought that was normal, but after graduating, when I talked about those days with people from other faculties or universities, they were very envious.

I think the fact that this kind of atmosphere develops naturally is unique to SFC. The rural environment probably plays a big role too. It feels like you can be yourself without tension, or rather, you feel like you'll be accepted as you are.

However, if someone asks, "I get that, but what can you actually learn at SFC?" I honestly can't answer in one word. There probably isn't an answer decided from the start; it's a place where you find the answer for yourself.

SFC has various types of classes. There are those specialized in internet-related fields, which represent the school's image, and there are also classes with titles that seem far removed from studying at first glance. The syllabus might not contain a specific answer as to how that class will be useful. Naturally, some classes end without you ever knowing the answer, but even if you don't understand it then, there are cases where you realize the interest of it as time passes after graduation. You could say that having many of these types of classes is one of the characteristics of SFC.

In my case, the fieldwork I studied in my seminar and the class on writing essays—these two took time after graduation to become the core of who I am today. At the time, I took them with a feeling of "this looks interesting," but now, many years after graduating, the things I learned intuitively back then are useful or provide hints in my music and other work.

The process of writing a song is not something that can be done with mere tricks. You might be able to say something that sounds right, but it will ultimately be a shallow song. To prevent that, it's important to closely observe daily life, which may seem unchanging at first glance, and to perceive the slight environmental changes and shifts in emotion within it. There is a depth that is born only by not looking away from the frustration of not being able to reach an answer immediately. I was able to realize that because of the days I spent in that seminar.

And the reason I am writing this text here now is thanks to the essay-writing class I took back then. Believing the professor's words, "It doesn't matter if you're not showing it to anyone, just keep writing," I have continued to write. Thanks to that, I am now able to have serial columns in various media.

To be honest, in both classes, I didn't understand at all back then what I was learning for or when it would be useful. But as I went through life with what I learned then tucked away in a corner of my mind, it led me to where I am today. That alone makes my time at SFC meaningful.

In a student life where it's easy to compare yourself to others or be swept away, the fact that I was able to find something I was purely attracted to is thanks to the place called SFC, the slow passage of time there, and the people who were around me. That's why I love SFC.