The Mita-Kai Homecoming Day for 2021, a gathering open to all Keio alumni that celebrates the larger Keio Gijuku Shachu (Keio Community), was held on Sunday, October 17 under the slogan, "Creating the Future Together." The 2020 gathering was canceled due to the pandemic. However, the long-awaited 2021 homecoming marked a first in Keio University's history by operating primarily online with live streams for all of its proceedings for those who wished to attend remotely.
To start off the main programming at 10:00, alumni who graduated 50 years ago in 1971 were invited to the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall for a ceremony in recognition of the occasion. It opened with remarks from Takeshi Niinami, chairperson of the event's planning committee; followed by the raising of Keio's School Flag; a performance of the alma mater "the Juku-ka"; a speech from Akiko Suganuma, president of the Keio Rengo Mita-Kai; a congratulatory address from Kohei Itoh, Keio's president; and a slideshow presentation that showed what Keio University's campuses were like 50 years ago. Noriyuki Shikanai, who was the 112th year Mita-kai president in 1971, then gave his closing remarks followed by a recorded performance of "Wakaki-chi."
For the second part of the festivities, Keio alumnus Sho Sakurai led a three hour live broadcast as the anchorperson for the various programs. This portion of the homecoming featured a discussion between alumni who graduated without a commencement ceremony in 2011 because of the Great East Japan Earthquake and then-president, Executive Advisor for Academic Affairs Atsushi Seike. There was also the annual prize raffle and a sports programming segment led by alumni athletes under the "Never Stop Playing Sports" movement. This was followed by a special concert from the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, which has used its activities to support those recovering from the tragedy. The music allowed attendees to reflect on the 10 years since the earthquake and encourage them to think about the future. The curtain fell for the day with the orchestra's final rendition of "the Juku-ka".
In addition to the day's live streamed events, the alumni association made the most of modern technology, incorporating pre-recorded content and interactive activities into the programming while also hosting online booths and shops.