'Places in the Life of Yukichi Fukuzawa'ーSpecial Tour Held in Nakatsu, Oguni, and Kitsuki

From Wednesday, March 6, to Friday, March 8, a three-day and two-night tour, "Special Tour of Places in the Life of Yukichi Fukuzawa－Nakatsu, Oguni, and Kitsuki," was organized by the Student Affairs Center. The tour in Nakatsu was held for the first time in six years, with Vice-President Keita Yamauchi and Associate Professor Takeyuki Tokura from the Fukuzawa Memorial Institute for Modern Japanese Studies invited as lecturers. The tour centered on Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture, where Yukichi Fukuzawa spent his childhood, and took participants to Oguni Town in Kumamoto Prefecture and Kitsuki City in Oita Prefecture. Fourteen students from various campuses, faculties, and graduate schools, ranging from undergraduate students to doctoral students, participated in the tour. Vice-President Akiyo Okuda joined the tour from Wednesday, March 6, to Thursday, March 7, and mingled with Keio students.

The tour participants were warmly welcomed by officials and staff of Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture. The tour then kicked off from Yukichi Fukuzawa's Former Residence, which also serves as a Memorial Museum. Armed with an old map, the participants strolled through the town of Nakatsu, which retains the town layout from the Edo period. By walking the same paths and navigating the same town structure as those bygone days, participants were able to experience the Nakatsu that Yukichi Fukuzawa lived in. The tour took participants through many historic sites, such as the various Buddhist temples located in Teramachi, concentrated along the outer moat on the east side of the castle town; the streets of Moromachi, with buildings that retain the old charm and atmosphere of the time where merchants and brewers gathered there; and the birthplace of Sotaro Masuda, Fukuzawa's second cousin who plotted to assassinate him. Participants enjoyed strolling through these historic sites while listening to the sometimes humorous commentary mixed with funny anecdotes.

After exploring Nakatsu City from the afternoon of the first day to the morning of the second day, participants then visited Yabakei, where Fukuzawa purchased land with his private funds to preserve the scenic beauty of the landscape, as well as the memorial museum of Shibasaburo Kitasato, who contributed to the development of medical sciences in Japan with the assistance of Fukuzawa. On the third and final day, the tour concluded with a walk through the castle town of Kitsuki and a field trip to the Miura Baien Museum.

This tour was a valuable opportunity for Keio students and staff to visit places that were deeply connected to Yukichi Fukuzawa, and in doing so, approach the origin of the formation of his ideology and ponder on the founding spirit of Keio University. This was especially true during the free time after dinner, where both the lecturers and students were observed having a passionate discussion about Yukichi Fukuzawa, thus making the trip a true embodiment of the "learning while teaching, teaching while learning" ethos of Keio University.

The Student Affairs Center plans and organizes events every year for students. If you were unable to attend this year's program, we hope you will be able to attend future events.

Student Affairs Center Events (Student Website)