2017.04.17
On the afternoon of Saturday, April 15, the annual kite-flying event was held at the planned construction site of the Miraisozojuku (Institute for Designing the Future) (West Block) on the Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC). The kite that was flown was made about five years ago by volunteer SFC students under the guidance of the members of the "Tako no Kai" (Kite Association) active in the Endo district. While many Japanese kites are rectangular, kites from the Sagami region are characteristically square, and this kite is the size of a 4.5-tatami-mat room. It has become an annual spring tradition for students to fly this large kite as part of the mandatory first-year courses "Policy Management" and "Environment and Information Studies," with the cooperation of the local "Tako no Kai" from the Endo district.
This year, the deans of both faculties also participated. Amidst the mild spring weather, a perfect wind for kite flying blew, and the large kite, inscribed with the character for "dream" (夢), soared high and stable in the sky for a long time. Cheers erupted from the participating students, and all participants shared in the joy of kite flying. It was a moment unique to SFC, where local residents, students, and faculty members came together to deepen their learning.
The large kite with the character for "dream" (夢) once again soared, carrying the hopes of each and every SFC student, making it a memorable event for all who attended. Having fulfilled its role for the year, the large kite is now on display again in the lobby of Building A.