Devoting All Four Years to the Transience of Four Days

Thank you for your hard work on the 67th Mita Festival. You carried the heavy responsibility of being at the top of the Mita Festival, but what first motivated you to join the Mita Festival Planning Committee?

At the root of it was a desire to "do something Keio-like" since I had made it into Keio. Actually, I was torn about whether to join the Athletic Association. In high school, I was so dedicated to kyudo that I went to the Inter-High School Championships. However, when I thought deeply about what I should devote the final period of my life as a student to, I felt that the Mita Festival would be more Keio-like and something only students could do. With that decided, I jumped into this world. Now, I'm being hit by both a sense of accomplishment I've never felt before and a sense of emptiness now that the festival is over. It feels like there's a hole in my heart; that's how much it was my entire university life.

You are the chairperson leading one of the largest school festivals in Japan, but what was the journey like until you reached that position?

Actually, the chairperson is decided in the "winter of the second year." It's not an appointment from a senior; it's chosen through an "election by peers only." From then until the third year, you serve as an "Assistant to the Chairperson," handling preparations for the next term and training juniors.

I'm surprised that it's decided as early as the second year. So in your third year, you serve as an assistant knowing that you will be the next chairperson.

Yes. In my third year, as the Assistant to the Chairperson, I conducted admission interviews for 50 new members alone, and after that, I was mainly responsible for looking after and educating them. I often felt crushed by a vague anxiety about the following year or panicked thinking, "Can I carry a part of the lives of 200 people?" However, once I became the chairperson in my fourth year, there was a gap in a good way. At first, I felt pressured thinking "I have to lead them," but in reality, I felt more like "200 people are supporting me from behind." Even when things were tough, I was saved many times by the smiles of the committee members and the backup from behind.

I imagine it wasn't easy to lead 200 students as the Mita Festival Chairperson. What were the particularly difficult points?

The hardest part was definitely how to face "people." Since the Mita Festival Planning Committee is a student organization, the condition is to "continue for four years." However, some members struggle and want to quit because they can't bear the weight of the responsibility. How to stay close to those colleagues? A phrase I like and value is "everyone has their own circumstances." Everyone has different backgrounds and situations. That's why, instead of forcing them to stay, I first validate their background and keep telling them, "I am looking at each of you individually." I believed the chairperson is the only person who can be an ally to every committee member. Because I spent time on that, we were able to finish with 200 people in the end.

The attitude of not leaving anyone behind is wonderful. Did you do anything else to keep the committee members entertained?

Actually, we started a new initiative called the "Main Festival Test" this year. Originally, the goal was to raise the level of knowledge among committee members, but just making them study isn't fun. So, I added game-like elements, such as giving rewards based on test results, to make it enjoyable (laughs).

Ultimately, I think if the "operating side" isn't having the most fun, they can never make the visitors enthusiastic. That's why I was particular about the shift scheduling. As chairperson, I created all the shifts for 200 people over the seven days, including the preparation period. It was a task of filling in the puzzle while staring at Excel and thinking, "Let's create a drama for this person with this shift" or "I want them to make the best memories here," while picturing each person's face. It was incredibly hard, but seeing the committee members enjoying themselves so vibrantly made me feel it was worth it.

I'm sure you overcame many things leading up to the Mita Festival, but please tell us what left a particularly strong impression during the actual event.

While being involved in the Mita Festival over the past three years, I felt that respect and empathy were lacking between committee members and between the committee and the participating groups. So this year, we set the theme as "A Mita Festival of Mutual Love," prioritizing human connections over profit. After the event, I received a long message from the representative of a participating group saying, "The thoughts you put forward reached us. I was happy to be involved as a participating group." The Mita Festival, which is held as if it were a given, is by no means a given. I felt that we were able to share that thought, and as a result, it became a Mita Festival where we could strongly feel our "solidarity as Keio students." I was very happy to think that I was able to achieve the goal of creating an environment where we care for each other.

Please tell us about the "Keio-ness" and "culture" you found through your four years of activities.

What I can say with confidence is the "strength of vertical and horizontal relationships." I think Keio culture boils down to "connections between people." First, regarding the "horizontal," it's the bond with peers. The executive committee is a small, elite group of 50 people per year. Since we share joys and sorrows for four years, there is no one I haven't talked to. Because we know each other inside out, we can bring out the "color" of each generation. The reason we were able to bring out a color unique to our 67th group was because of this horizontal connection.

What about the "vertical" connections?

I was really surprised by this—alumni from the 30th festival or even earlier, former executive committee members, would just drop by the headquarters without any appointment. People around 60 years old would say, "I was a committee member for the 10-something festival" (laughs). They would bring snacks or ask, "Can I take a photo?" and take commemorative photos with us. Touching that love for the alma mater and passion for juniors that hasn't changed for decades gave me goosebumps in a good way, realizing that the love and passion devoted over four years continues to remain. I truly felt that the Mita Festival has continued because of these vertical connections.

That is surprising. I feel that you, too, have become immersed in Keio culture through your four years of activity in the Mita Festival Planning Committee. What do you think is the power of the Mita Festival that made that happen?

Compared to the long preparation period, the actual event passes in an instant. That transience is exactly the "magic of the Mita Festival." Mita Campus usually has a calm atmosphere because it's in a business district, but only during the festival period does it transform completely into a non-ordinary bustle. That gap is amazing. And even after preparing for a year, the actual event is only four days. A few hours after the post-festival celebration ends, the tents are removed, and the campus returns to its original state as if it were all a dream. The speed from the moment I am moved until it disappears. Because of that "transience," we bet everything on that single moment, and that's what attracts people.

What is the "core of the Mita Festival" that you most want to convey to the next generation?

It's to uphold the policy of being "led by Keio students." Why do we insist so much on being led by Keio students? It's because I believe the performances and research of Keio students are at a level that can move the public on their own. Delivering emotion to visitors solely through Keio students is something unique to the Mita Festival. That's why I want them to always make "Keio students being the protagonists" the primary standard. I want my juniors to keep protecting this axis—not relying on external elements, but directly conveying the brilliance and passion of Keio students.

Finally, please give a message to the students reading this article and to future Keio students.

This year's catchphrase was "With Pride, In Our Own Way." "With Pride" means having the awareness and pride of being a member of Keio University. And "In Our Own Way" means enjoying coming together as one while holding that pride. Being able to study at this university and meeting these colleagues is by no means a given. We are here by a miracle-like probability. That's why I want you to be grateful for "being a Keio student" and to keep thinking about the meaning of "being a Keio student."

Also, the Mita Festival is a "chain of miracles." The efforts of participating groups, the encounters with visitors, the behind-the-scenes operations—everything overlaps to create a non-ordinary space. It was our mission to put the spotlight on that. My own way of thinking changed significantly during the four years I active in the Mita Festival Planning Committee. By meeting people and being exposed to diverse values, my world expanded. If you are hesitating about something now, please jump into this "chain of miracles." Keio University has the colleagues and the environment to embrace that passion.