Header start
This spring, the Student Affairs Center hosted "Travel to places in the life of Yukichi Fukuzawa" on its Hiyoshi and Shinanomachi Campuses. Students from different undergraduate faculties and graduate schools joined the tour, which was conducted by Associate Professor Takeyuki Tokura of the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies.
The tour took participants through various locations associated with Keio University and its founder Yukichi Fukuzawa, providing insight about their little-known histories and the characteristics that have been passed down from generation to generation. In the past, the program had been held in places throughout Japan such as Fukuzawa's birthplace in Osaka and Nakatsu City in Oita Prefecture, where he spent his childhood. Last year, the program stayed on Mita Campus to limit the spread of COVID-19. This year, tours were conducted first on Shinanomachi Campus, home of the Keio University Hospital. The tour was then held on Hiyoshi Campus, the base for many of Keio's student organizations and where a large number of first- and second-year students study.
The tour on Shinanomachi Campus took place on Wednesday, March 8. It started from the Kitasato Memorial Medical Library, named after the School of Medicine's first dean, Shibasaburo Kitasato, then brought students to surrounding locations including the Building for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, a small Shinto shrine, and the site of the former Institute of Diet and Nutrition. Kitasato never studied directly under Fukuzawa, but he relied on Fukuzawa's assistance and advice while pursuing his own research. While the School of Medicine was not established at Keio until after Fukuzawa's death, Kitasato was fully committed to repaying his kindness by working to establish the School of Medicine. During the tours, students enjoyed Associate Professor Tokura's often humorous explanations as they learned about how Fukuzawa encouraged and fed Kitasato's belief in the development of medical science, and how the Shinanomachi campus continues to carry on and embody his ideologies.
On Friday, March 10, both Associate Professor Tokura and Takeshi Akuzawa, president of Keio Senior High School, provided a tour on Hiyoshi campus. Participants deepened their understanding of the people and events crucial to Keio's history as they surveyed well-known spots such as the Bronze Statue of Yukichi Fukuzawa in front of the Hiyoshi Library (Hiyoshi Media Center) and other areas that are normally off-limits. With the cooperation of the Association for the Preservation of the Hiyoshidai Tunnels, participants also visited a wartime underground bunker that remains on Hiyoshi Campus to this day. The experience exploring the bunker provided a chance to reflect on life and learning during war, and complemented the tour's use of various photographic and audio materials.
When observing campuses in their day-to-day activities, during classes, extracurriculars, and general student life, there are few opportunities to discover how former students once lived, the hardships and joys of those who supported them, and the hidden nuances that have been tucked away throughout the years. Another aspect of the tour was in how students, while being surprised at first by the differences between their home campus and the campus toured, also sensed the underlying atmosphere that permeates all of Keio University. One-by-one, this event guided participants to historic sites scattered across the two campuses and in doing so, illustrated Yukichi Fukuzawa's deep conviction that private education's role is to promote education and research to create "leaders of society." The program further shed light on how we may encounter, yet ultimately overcome, difficulties in life, as epitomized by the destruction wrought by war and the reconstruction following it. The tour provided participants with an opportunity to make new discoveries and reflect on the campuses where students spend most of their time.
The Student Affairs Center plans and organizes events every year for students. If you were unable to attend this year's program, please look forward to the next opportunity.
Footer start
Navigation start