Kyoto University celebrates 9th Homecoming Day (1 November 2014)

Kyoto University hosted its ninth Homecoming Day on 1 November with the theme, "Food: The Tradition and Science behind Kyoto Cuisine". The event attracted around 2,800 visitors, including a great number of KU alumni -- those who had completed an undergraduate or graduate program, or had once worked at the University -- as well as current KU students, faculty, and staff.

The program included two lectures, which drew a capacity audience to the Clock Tower Centennial Hall. These were preceded by a speech by KU President Juichi Yamagiwa and a geisha dance performance.

In his speech as the head of the KU Alumni Association, President Yamagiwa expressed his view that universities should strive to serve as "windows" through which well-equipped graduates pass on their way out into the wider world, and expressed his gratitude for the fact that generations of KU students had climbed out of their "window" and gone on to achieve remarkable success, referring to Dr Isamu Akasaki, who had graduated from the Faculty of Science in 1952 and was selected as a recipient of this year's Nobel Prize in Physics.

The geisha's performance was an Inoue-style kyomai (Kyoto dance) called Oimatsu (old pine tree), and was dedicated to the longevity and prosperity of KU alumni.

The lectures were by Mr Yoshihiro Murata, the owner/chef of Kikunoi, a prestigious kaiseki -cuisine restaurant, and Professor Tohru Fushiki from Kyoto University's Graduate School of Agriculture, who discussed, respectively, " Washoku and Japanese Cuisine, and Japanese Cuisine and Kyoto Cuisine -- What Are the Differences?" and " Dashi : The Science behind Great Tastes and the Importance of Preserving Recipes for Future Generations". Mr Murata's exhaustive hands-on knowledge of food and Professor Fushiki's scientific explanations of the taste of dashi (soup stock) both amazed and captivated the audience.

After the lectures, many visitors enjoyed experiences that were offered for the first time as part of a KU Homecoming Day: a dining hall serving Kyoto-style bento (boxed lunches) and nimono-wan (individual servings of simmered food) prepared by a renowned ryotei , and Kusunoki Street Food Village, consisting of food stalls erected around the University's symbolic kusunoki (camphor tree), growing in front of the Clock Tower Centennial Hall. The latter in particular drew an enormous crowd, with some vendors offering original sweets not available anywhere else, with students serving food and providing live entertainment.

Another highlight of the day was a concert by the Kyoto University Symphony Orchestra, which mesmerized the audience with its superb renditions of selections from "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg", "Hungarian Dances No 5", "The Waltzing Cat", and "Carmen".

In addition, many visitors took advantage of the opportunity to tour the University Library and the Sonjou-Dou hall, the latter of which is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan, as well as special exhibitions underway at the Kyoto University Museum -- "Preserving the Cornerstones of Scholarship: The History of the Museum since its Beginnings as an Exhibition Hall for Kyoto University's Precursor School" and "Masterpieces of Kyoto University Mineral Collection".

Other activities offered on the event-packed day included: a networking meeting between local business owners (KU alumni) and faculty members, held in the University Lounge (Kyodai Salon) with the participation of 24 graduates; reunions and lectures hosted by Faculty, Graduate School, and regional alumni associations at the Clock Tower Centennial Hall, Rakuyu Kaikan, and other venues; and a gathering of current and former KU graduate and undergraduate students in the International Conference Hall, where participants were seen actively discussing employment opportunities and other topics.