On Saturday, September 5, a facilities tour for the 1995 Mita-kai (Alumni Association) was held at the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall, which was newly completed in March of this year.
Keio University alumni from the 1995 Mita-kai had been invited as guests of honor for the university commencement ceremonies set to have been held in March 2020, the 25th year since their graduation. However, it was decided to hold this facilities tour of the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall in light of the ceremony itself having been cancelled due to the status of infections with COVID-19 (coronavirus disease).
On a day blessed with fine weather, the tour was attended by around 300 people, with allowances in place for measures to prevent infections, including seating arrangements to facilitate social distancing, in addition to temperature checks and hand disinfection on admission to the building.
After kicking off proceedings with a CD rendition of the Alma Mater, "The Juku-ka," followed by speeches from Keio President Akira Haseyama and Vice-President Keigo Komamura as well as Takara Mita, president of the 1995 Mita-kai, various screenings were held, including those of the diploma conferral ceremony in March of this year, as well as a video record of the construction work on Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall. To conclude the ceremony, Go Shimada, chairperson of the Mita-kai 25th anniversary graduation project, gave an address, after which the ceremony attendees heard a rendition of "Wakaki-chi."
While the event was on a smaller scale to the commencement ceremony initially planned, the participants were pleased to be reunited with their old acquaintances, sharing memories of their time as Keio students to the backdrop of a Hiyoshi campus which has changed dramatically in the intervening years.