January 31, 2017
On Saturday, January 14, "Food Jam Fes" was held as a collaboration between the Endo District Council of Social Welfare Commissioners and Commissioned Child Welfare Volunteers and the SFC SBC (Student Build Campus) Joint Research Group. This event was part of the designated activities of the Council for the Endo district of Fujisawa City, organized around the theme of "University × Community × Food."
The event was planned to leverage the rich food environment surrounding SFC, with its abundance of vegetables, meat, and fruit, and to use "food" as a tool to foster collaboration between the local community and the university. The name "Food Jam Fes" was inspired by the idea of creating a space like a "jam session" (an impromptu musical performance). It aims to use food (Food), the community's strength, as a tool for collaboration with a diverse group of people—including local residents, faculty and staff, university students, and alumni—to build a campus that grows together with the community.
On the day of the event, residents of the Endo district served dishes such as mochi (rice cakes), namasu (vinegared daikon and carrots), and zoni (soup with rice cakes) made with local vegetables. The event also featured taiko drum performances by the Endo Yato Taiko Preservation Society, a koto performance by Tomoko Kono, and discussions between local residents and SFC students. With over 150 participants, including SFC students, faculty and staff, and residents from the Endo district and Fujisawa City, the event was a great success. The discussions involved a lively exchange of ideas on how to expand and develop future interactions between the community and the university. In addition to university students, many junior high, high school, and international students also attended, with many commenting, "It was a wonderful cross-cultural exchange," and "I have a newfound appreciation for Japanese culture."
We will continue to build face-to-face relationships through various exchanges between the community and the university, working to create a campus that grows together with the community.
Source: Public Relations, General Affairs, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office
Cooperation: Rina Teruya, 3rd-year student, Faculty of Policy Management