The History of the Mita Festival
1997/11/01
Published in "Juku" 1997, No. 208
When you think of a school festival at Keio University, you think of the "Mita Festival."
This name became established as the university-wide school festival relatively recently, in the early Showa 30s (late 1950s).
During that time, the festival underwent various changes, including cancellations, name changes, and revivals, due to the changing times and shifts in the consciousness of Keio students.
Here, we would like to look back at the history of this school festival, which can be called a symbol of student autonomy.
Item 1 | Item 2 |
|---|---|
1949
| Until this year, the name and location of the school festival were not standardized. However, since "Mita" is synonymous with Keio University, a proposal was made to hold the festival primarily at Mita under the name "Mita Festival." But coordination between the university and the students failed, and the event was ultimately canceled. |
1951–1952
| Unlike today, during this period, various organizations such as the "Bunren Mita Festival" and the "Godo Mita Festival" were independently organized and held by different groups. |
1953
| The Mita Festival was held to commemorate the 95th anniversary of Keio University's founding, centered around the All-Keio Student Government Committee. Various groups from within Keio, including the Federation of Cultural Clubs (Bunren), the Federation of Academic Research Clubs (Gakkenren), the Athletic Association, the All-Keio Federation (Zenkeiren), the three newspaper divisions, and seminars from the Faculty of Economics, participated together. The event drew a crowd of 25,000 and was a fulfilling university festival. |
1954
| Following the success of the previous year's joint event, the festival was held under the name "Unified Mita Festival." Although the various groups agreed on unifying the university festival, opinions were sharply divided on venue issues (such as allocation), and there was a time when holding the event was in jeopardy. However, it ultimately concluded successfully, attracting a crowd of 30,000. Around this year, the significance and purpose of the "Mita Festival" and "unification" began to be actively debated. |
1957
| The name was changed to "Gijuku Festival" based on the executive committee's desire to actively promote the unique characteristics of Keio University to the public and make it a comprehensive, university-wide school festival. |
1958
| Held at Hiyoshi Campus as the final event of Keio University's 100th-anniversary celebrations. As it was a centennial festival, the Yochisha Elementary School, Keio Futsubu School, and Chutobu Junior High School also participated, with the number of visitors reaching 120,000. |
1959
| The name was changed back from Gijuku Festival to "Mita Festival." The venue also moved back to Mita Campus for the first time in two years, attracting over 100,000 people. |
1961
| Due to construction and renovation of school buildings at Mita, the festival was held at Hiyoshi under the name "Gijuku Festival." |
...And then, 1997
Mita Festival
Dates: November 21 (Fri)–November 24 (Mon, holiday)Location: Mita Campus
Theme: Hii, Fuu, Mitasai—Is it true they're taking attendance?
Synonymous with Keio's school festivals, this year marks the 39th Mita Festival. Fun and fulfilling events are planned, including concerts by Julia Matsuda and The Collectors, lectures by Kenichi Takemura, Shinichiro Kurimoto, and others, as well as open lectures and comedy shows.
SFC Autumn Festival
Dates: November 15 (Sat) & 16 (Sun)Location: Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC)Theme: op (=operation)
Known as a community-oriented school festival held at the Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC). This year, the 6th festival, features an even more robust program, including events like a fashion show, dialogues, "Gyokaku Star Tanjo" (Birth of an Administrative Reform Star), concerts, spatial art, and a fireworks display.
Yotsuya Festival
Dates: November 8 (Sat) & 9 (Sun)Location: Shinanomachi Campus
This year marks the 20th Yotsuya Festival. Planned events include food stalls by the School of Medicine Athletic Association, activity reports by cultural organizations, inter-club game competitions, a dance party, a beauty pageant, live performances by celebrities, and lectures. The School of Medicine is also scheduled to participate in the Mita Festival.