On Saturday, May 18, the first Post-50th Reunion of the "Reiwa" era was held for Keio alumni at the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall.
The reunions for Keio Alumni started in 1953 when Keio extended an invitation to alumni celebrating 25 years and 50 years or more after graduation to attend the Commencement Ceremony. Currently, 25th anniversary alumni are invited to the Commencement Ceremony and 50th anniversary alumni to the Entrance Ceremony, and since 1986, the Post-50th Reunion has been held every year for alumni celebrating any anniversary of graduation after their 50th. This was the 4th year to host the event at Pacifico Yokohama, and this year, about 4,400 people who graduated in 1968 or before participated.
The reunion started with the singing of Keio’s Alma Mater "The Juku-ka," and then President Akira Haseyama took the stage to welcome the alumni and thank them for continually supporting the university. Then, Yasuo Kaneda, the 1968 Mita-kai event coordinator who participated for the first time this year, gave a toast, and afterward, the alumni had a chance to catch up with one another. During this time, there was an interview with Yasushi Matsushita, the eldest person in attendance (graduated in 1940, 102 years of age), and he was presented a bouquet of flowers by President Haseyama.
Later, the "Tsugaru-jamisen Club Otoha," an officially authorized student club, performed songs such as "Tsugaru Jongarabushi," followed by a joint performance of "Wakaki-chi" with the Keio Cheer Group. The Keio Cheer Group then performed university songs such as "Keio Sanka" and "Oka no Ue" on stage, filling the hall with excitement. Finally, the several thousand alumni in attendance joined shoulders and again sang "Wakaki-chi" to bring the one-and-a-half-hour event to a close.
In the pleasant May weather, the venue was filled with smiling alumni reuniting with old friends and enjoying talking about their memories of Keio as well as recent events.