Mita Festival

2022/11/30

Photo: The 64th Mita Festival (2022), which was crowded with many visitors for the first time in three years.

The Mita Festival, held every November at the Mita Campus, counts 1959 as its first year and has already been held over 60 times, welcoming many visitors to the hill of Mita.

The origins of the school festival can be traced back to the 1951 Bunren Festival. It was held jointly by the Federation of Academic Research Organizations and the Federation of Cultural Organizations. In fact, two years prior in 1949, the new university system was launched, Building 4 (later the 3rd School Building) was completed, and the library finished major renovations, leading to a Reconstruction Festival. Taking that opportunity, a school festival called "Mita Festival" was prepared, but it was cancelled due to budget issues. In 1953, a substantial university festival was held with various organizations within Keio participating, centered around the All-Keio Student Self-Government Committee. Then in 1958, the centennial year of the founding of Keio University, a school festival for the entire Juku including affiliated schools such as the Yochisha Elementary School, Chutobu Junior High School, and Keio Futsubu School, called the "Centennial Festival = Keio University Centennial Anniversary Festival," was held at the Hiyoshi Campus as part of the commemorative ceremonies.

The Mita Festival as it continues today began to be held the following year under the organization of the Mita Festival Planning Committee. The event lasted four days and included the still-popular lottery project. At that time, there were no food stalls in the courtyard, and it had a strong character as a place for seminar presentations, though lectures and concerts by music circles were also held. It is said that there were over 100,000 visitors. To uphold the philosophy of holding the festival led by Keio students without receiving financial support from the Juku, the Planning Committee established a system to solicit corporate sponsorship through advertising and donations and return the proceeds to participating organizations. In the 1960s, they held dance parties at the Eve-of-Festival event to earn ticket revenue. The 1960s was an era of active student movements, and at the Mita Festival, a Student Invitation Conference was held every year where students from universities across the country were invited to discuss various issues regarding universities and students, continuing a stance of pursuing what a student movement should be. While other universities were forced to cancel their school festivals due to intrusions by extremist students, the Mita Festival continued to be held. From 1975, cars appeared as lottery prizes, and many people likely remember the sight of them displayed at the rotary in front of the main gate. In 1995, ahead of other universities, environmental measures were started, and waste separation has been carried out since then. The Mita Festival Planning Committee has undergone repeated organizational restructuring and has taken charge of planning and operations suited to the times.

Throughout its long history, there were two years when the festival was held at Hiyoshi. Both were because the Mita Campus was under construction: in 1961 (relocation of the Student Hall, expansion of the library stacks, etc.) and 1967 (construction of the Graduate School Building). In 2020, it was held online without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the following year it was held with measures to prevent the spread of infection, and the festival has continued without a break since its first occurrence.

It has been said since some time ago that when the Ginkgo Tree in the Quad at Mita turns yellow, it is time for the Mita Festival, and when the Mita Festival ends and the leaves have completely fallen, faculty and staff are paid their bonuses. In recent years, perhaps due to global warming, a slight discrepancy has arisen with this legend.

(Former Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations, Atsuko Ishiguro)