About Toyo University Toyo University Festival2021

The Toyo University Festival was held online for the second consecutive year. *The Kaminari Festival (Itakura Campus) was canceled this academic year. Below is a report on a discussion with the four executive committee chairpersons of the University Festival from each campus about how they prepared and held the Festival.

2021.10.30-31

*The Kaminari Festival (Itakura Campus) was canceled this academic year.

In June, the decision was made to hold the University Festival online for the second year running

Mr. Yoshida, Executive Committee Chairperson of the Hakusan Festival
With no end in sight to COVID-19, we spent every day thinking about what we, as members of the University Festival Executive Committee, could do to bring happiness and hope to students’ lives and futures. In June, the decision was made to hold this year’s Festival online as well.

Mr. Matsuoka, Executive Committee Chairperson of the INIAD-FES
At the Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation and Design, we prepared to be able to hold the Festival either online or offline. Last year we made use of our competencies in IT to virtually recreate the campus and prepared events for students to come and hang out at the campus. However, this year we wanted to create a University Festival that was more focused on experience.

Ms. Matsumoto, Executive Committee Chairperson of the WELLB-FES
I was well prepared because we held the Festival online last year, but I was honestly disappointed that we couldn’t hold the Festival in person. I wanted to create opportunities for people to meet in person because we only just moved to the Akabanedai Campus in April.

Mr. Hashimoto, Executive Committee Chairperson of the Komorebi Festival
The Kawagoe Campus Festival was canceled last year, and this year was our first time to hold the Festival online. We were quite concerned because we had no experience from last year, but we gave it our all with the determination that we need to build a foundation to continue the Komorebi Festival into the future.

Live streaming rehearsal (Hakusan Festival)

Making use of your experience from last year’s festival, what did you keep, and what did you change?

Mr. Hashimoto
It was our first time holding the Festival online, so we didn’t know where to start. I had so many concerns, such as how to schedule events, what to do on the day of the Festival, how to prepare and see progress, and what to do about infection prevention measures. Did anyone do anything different from last year?

Mr. Yoshida
We were used to using Zoom and LINE for online meetings, scheduling, and checking progress, so we were able to conduct operations more smoothly than last year.

Mr. Matsuoka
At the Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation and Design (INIAD), we mostly used Slack, a business tool, to manage all kinds of matters, from communication to checking task progress. We also use Slack in our lessons, so I think we were able to use it effectively.

Ms. Matsumoto
Our seniors told us many times, “It is important to share information with everyone!” However, even if I can see people’s faces, I felt that it was difficult to convey emotions and important matters online. Therefore compared to last year, we made an effort to give more details than usual when sharing information, and we tried to communicate more frequently to keep everyone’s spirits high this time.

Mr. Matsuoka
This year, we held monthly Executive Committee meetings to confirm the current situation. We also tried to make sure to keep communication by checking frequently within our team members to see how each of us was getting on.

Mr. Hashimoto
I see. We set up a system where everyone coordinated in lockstep while each leader kept an eye on the overall situation and checked matters frequently.

Mr. Yoshida
At the Hakusan Festival, there were events that we streamed live. Last year we had problems with live streaming, such as a loss of sound and image issues, which sometimes took time to resolve. That is why this year, we established a live-streaming team and prepared carefully to keep these issues to a minimum. As a result, we were able to make improvements over last year because even when we had issues, we could switch a cover image temporarily which we prepared beforehand.

Backstage at the live streaming (INIAD-FES)

How to create fun unique events

Mr. Hashimoto
As we had no experience to draw upon last year, we referred to other universities' online festivals and thought about what kind of events participants would enjoy. We set up a stage and shot movies, but if we were able to have shot it live, we might have had been able to create a more enjoyable ambiance of the Festival.

Mr. Yoshida
This year we organized events that were mostly targeted at Toyo students and high school students. However, it was difficult to grasp the target audience's needs and come up with events that appealed to this audience. To convey the atmosphere and appeal of Toyo University to people other than Toyo students, we polish our plans several times and brought in the events that highlighted club activities and interaction with international students.

Ms. Matsumoto
I feel like it was a test of our awareness of what events would be popular. Unlike offline events, there is an inevitable disadvantage in what you can experience when it comes to online. The key point was how to create events that you would be interested in, even if they are online.

Mr. Matsuoka
This year we also went on with the virtual campus, which was well-received last year. At the INIAD-FES, in addition to watching videos, participants could visit classrooms and watch events while moving around the online virtual campus. Because of this, I think participants were able to feel like they were actually visiting the campus.


Decorating stage walls (WELLB-FES)

Outcomes from the two consecutive online University Festivals, and looking ahead to next year

Mr. Matsuoka
What’s notable about the INIAD-FES is that we use what we’ve learned at university and take advantage of the power of IT. It’s been three years since I started learning how to build websites. Our juniors have shown great progress in utilizing what senior students have taught them in video production and system-related technology. Seeing my juniors develop in this promising manner makes me look forward to next year's festival.

Ms. Matsumoto
1st and 2nd year students have prepared for the festivals while not having many opportunities to meet in person. I really hope that we can hold next year’s festival in person. But if we do, I am concerned that there will be many challenges because everything will appear new after holding the online festival for two years.

Mr. Hashimoto
This year was our first online festival, and one year flew by. I am relieved that something we spent so long preparing for is finally over, but I also feel sad. Our juniors have grown through everything they have experienced this year, so I am sure they will create a superb University Festival from next year onwards.

Mr. Yoshida
Not being able to work as we wanted, and with the difficulty of creating something new, there were times when I felt like giving up. However, with all the support I received, and as we were able to make solid progress, I switched to a positive mindset. We still don’t know what format the Festival will take place next year onwards. But I think that will be another chance to use our experience and create an even newer University Festival no matter what format is. I am looking forward to seeing our juniors make a fresh start and making a University Festival that tops this year’s Festival.


Setting up the stage (Komorebi Festival)

Chairperson of the Hakusan Festival Executive Committee Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, 3rd Year Naoya Yoshida

This year’s theme was “Connection: Now is the time to be hand in hand.” We included in this theme our wish that we wanted this year’s Hakusan Festival to serve as a bridge that connects people, and we wanted people to positively connect hand in hand at this time when it is difficult to meet in person. We increased the number of live streaming events and created events that lit a bright and warm light in people's hearts, such as cooperating with Hibiya-Kadan to create ornaments with 3D images displayed on them and holding a lighting ceremony.

Cheerleading performed by MINNIES

Talk session with international students

Chairperson of the INIAD-FES Executive Committee Department of Information Networking for Innovation and Design, Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation and Design, 3rd Year Rei Matsuoka

This year was the fifth anniversary of the INIAD-FES. We based on “Hello, New Normal” linked to the theme of the first year’s INIAD-FES “Hello new World.” Even amidst the COVID-19 situation, we aimed to create a new normal University Festival using our IT strengths. I think this year’s Festival was full of the unique appeal of INIAD, including events by clubs that make full use of programming and IT skills.

Escape game

Drama club exhibit

Chairperson of the WELLB-FES Executive Committee Department of Human Environment Design, Faculty of Human Life Design, 3rd Year Yurina Matsumoto

Radio program: Young People’s Opinions!!!

Department introduction

Executive Committee Chairperson of the Komorebi Festival Department of Architecture, Faculty of Science and Engineering, 3rd Year Narumi Hashimoto

The theme of our first online University Festival was “Everyone is worried about COVID? Komorebi will lead the way.” With restrictions on student organization and club activities at the Kawagoe Campus, we wanted to express our desire to take the lead in showing a new way to do university activities with this year's theme. In previous years the live shows took place outside, but we set up a stage in the gym this year so that the noise would not bother people around the campus.

Find Komorebi

Live performance given by the light music club