{"id":22521,"date":"2014-11-27T12:05:43","date_gmt":"2014-11-27T17:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=22521"},"modified":"2014-11-27T12:05:43","modified_gmt":"2014-11-27T17:05:43","slug":"komaba-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2014\/11\/27\/komaba-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Komaba Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"A few friends and I checked out the University of Tokyo\u2019s annual Komaba-Sai <\/em>(\u99d2\u5834\u796d) festival last weekend. One day of preparation transformed the campus\u2019 otherwise tranquil tree-lined corridors into bustling streets of food vendors and entertainers.\r\n\r\n
\"This<\/a>
Front Campus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n
\"This<\/a>
One of the many corridors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nAlmost every student group was responsible for managing at least one food both (yatai<\/em>) around campus. The sweet and savoury aromas of yakisoba<\/em>, karaage<\/em>, and manjuu <\/em>coalesced in the corridors. There were about ten vendors selling each of these items, making them some of the most popular dishes on campus. Extreme competition forced members of each vendor to\u00a0market their product - \u00a0to desperately try to diversify it from the other similarly priced and cooked dishes; they made up for their products\u2019 unoriginality with fierce\u00a0enthusiasm and persuasion.\r\n\r\n
\"This<\/a>
Fried Banana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nAfter indulging in a few\u00a0dishes, we found our way to the performance areas. I was amazed by how diverse the types of performance were. In the forty-five minutes we spent at the\u00a0stages, we saw dance routines, barbershop choruses, jugglers, hula dancers, and more.\r\n\r\n
\"This<\/a>
One of the jugglers preparing for his performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\"This<\/a>\r\n\r\nWe found even more things to see inside some of the school\u2019s buildings. Classrooms had been converted to exhibits for various campus groups. Similar to the performances, the classrooms represented the diversity of the University of Tokyo\u2019s extracurricular activities. In one hallway alone, there was a room for chess, shougi<\/em>, and go<\/em>; a photography and film exhibit; an origami workshop; and a room displaying original optical illusions. These were just a few of the many showcases.\r\n\r\n
\"This<\/a>
One of the origami displays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nEvery room promised something new and exciting to see. Our curiosity led us to every exhibit.\u00a0After exhausting ourselves, we grabbed some\u00a0yakitori <\/em>for the road, and\u00a0called it a day.\u00a0The festivities ended shortly afterwards.\r\n\r\nKomaba-Sai<\/em>\u00a0was one of the highlights of my time at the University of Tokyo so far. It was incredible to see every<\/em> student organization represented in one cohesive event.\u00a0The festival was revelatory; it was an opportunity for students to meet outside the usual setting of the classroom, and share their otherwise hidden hobbies\u00a0with each other. The event\u00a0also made me think of\u00a0U of T. In a way, Komaba-Sai<\/i>\u00a0was a sort of\u00a0grander version of U of T's Clubs Fair in Hart House Circle, with even more club representation. Of course, U of T has diverse forms of student life too. I think it would be great for school spirit and club awareness if U of T could run a festival similar to Komaba-Sai<\/em>:\u00a0one in which all student organizations are represented in a celebration of student life.\r\n\r\nThat's all for this week. If you have any questions about student life at the University of Tokyo, feel free to comment below.\r\n\r\n