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On October 19, the 2025 Mita-Kai Homecoming Day (Keio Rengo Mita-Kai Taikai) was held at Hiyoshi Campus. This is an annual homecoming event where Keio alumni and their families, collectively called "Gijuku Shachu," come together. This year, the gathering welcomed around 16,000 attendees atop Hiyoshi Hill with the slogan "Under the Blue, Red, and Blue." Today, we live in an age of rapid digitalization, yet it is precisely for this reason that this event aims to create a space where people can meet in "real life," transcending generations to interact directly with one another.

At the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall, a ceremony was held for Keio University alumni who graduated 50 years ago. This was followed by a reception at the cafeteria building where attendees enjoyed socializing together. A number of special guests joined the yearly raffle draw. Tetsuya Bessho, Izumi Mori, Masafumi Akikawa, Fuga Akikawa, Naomi Trauden, Noritaka Hamao, and Riyoko Takagi, energized the crowd as they stood on stage to present the raffle’s spectacular prizes.

Many parents and their children also joined in on the fun through activities including a kids’ version of the sports entertainment television show "SASUKE," a chance to try sports such as fencing and track and field with Olympic athletes, and a variety of less widely played sports, such as lacrosse, flag football, and pickleball. The Raiosha’s event terrace showcased a "mobile teahouse" that was constructed by a shrine-and-temple carpenter using traditional construction techniques. Visitors enjoyed tea prepared in there, surrounded by warm wood tones. Other interesting programs included a Jazz & Pops concert at the Fujiwara Hiroshi Hall, lectures in the Fourth Building and its Independence Wing, "Kikaku no Gakko," an activity where elementary school students experienced the joy of planning something themselves, and many more.

Despite the overcast skies with occasional rain showers, participants enjoyed engaging in "Shachu Kokan (exchange)," socializing over a delicious meal among the rows of food stalls that characterize the yearly event.

What is Shachu Kokan (Exchange)?

At Keio, "shachu" is a collective term that includes all students, alumni, and faculty and staff members of Keio University. Shachu Kokan (exchanges) refers to teachers and students meeting on equal footing as "shachu," crossing generations to deepen mutual interaction.