[Special Feature: 30 Years of SFC] SFC and Me: "But, That's Why SFC"

"But I'm from SFC." Since graduating, I wonder how many times I've said this line. After attending Keio Shonan Fujisawa Junior and Senior High School, I entered the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at the university. I am a true SFC kid who dedicated all of my student days to that remote area of Fujisawa.

Because I'm such a person, I'll dare to say it: SFC is the countryside. When I was attending university, an Ootoya and a Gyoza no Ohsho opened in front of the nearest station, Shonandai. It caused quite a stir, with people saying, "We've finally taken a step toward becoming a city."

It takes about 20 minutes by bus from the station to the campus, and the only main spot in between is an Ito-Yokado. On rainy days, a savory smell wafts over from a nearby pig farm. In the center of the campus is the so-called "Gulliver Pond (Kamoike)," where ducks swim gracefully, and students often spend their breaks on the surrounding lawn. Because it's hard to walk in heels, most girls' shoes change to sneakers by around their second year of university.

By now, you probably have some idea of what kind of place SFC is. Yes, it's not the "Keio" that the general public typically imagines. That's why when people say, "Oh, Ms. Sekitori, you're a Keio graduate," I reflexively reply, "But I'm from SFC."

However, this "but" might seem self-deprecating, but that is merely a pose; in my heart, I am actually overflowing with pride. This is because the ten years I spent at SFC were undoubtedly irreplaceable to me.

It was the same during junior and senior high school, but what I felt again in university was that SFC doesn't have that atmosphere of a so-called caste system. I think this is truly wonderful.

I was a member of the "Former Rock Research Society," the only band club at SFC, and there were truly all kinds of people there. People who liked rock, J-pop, visual kei, anime songs, and even people who had never really listened to music at all.

People with completely different looks and hobbies would hang out in the club room in the same way, and we would even form bands together for the school festival. At the time, I thought that was normal, but after graduating and talking about those days with people from other faculties or universities, they were very envious.

I think the fact that this kind of atmosphere develops naturally is unique to SFC. The rural environment probably plays a big role too. It feels like you can be yourself without tension, or rather, you feel like you'll be accepted as you are.

However, if someone asks, "I get that, but what can you actually learn at SFC?" I honestly can't answer in one word. There probably isn't an answer decided from the start; it's a place where you find the answer yourself.

There are various types of classes at SFC. Some specialize in internet-related fields as the image suggests, while others have titles that seem far removed from study at first glance. The syllabus might not contain a specific answer as to how that class will be useful. Naturally, some classes end without you ever knowing the answer, but even if you don't understand it then, there are cases where you realize the interest of it as time passes after graduation. The fact that there are many classes of that type can be said to be one of the characteristics of SFC.

In my case, the fieldwork I studied in my seminar and the class on writing essays—these two took time after graduation to become the core of who I am today. At the time, I took them with a feeling of "this looks interesting," but now, years after graduating, the things I learned intuitively back then are useful or provide hints in my music and other work.

The process of writing a song is not something that can be done with mere tricks. You might be able to say something that sounds right, but it will ultimately be a shallow song. To prevent that, it is important to closely observe daily life, which may seem unchanging, and to sense the slight environmental changes and shifts in emotion within it. There is a depth that is born only by not looking away from the frustration of not being able to reach an answer immediately. I was able to realize that because of the days I spent in that seminar.

And the reason I am writing this text here now is thanks to the essay-writing class I took back then. Believing the professor's words, "It's okay if you don't show it to anyone, just please keep writing," I have continued to write. Thanks to that, I am now able to have serial columns in various media.

To be honest, in both classes, I didn't understand at all back then what I was learning for or when it would be useful. But as I went through life with what I learned then tucked away in a corner of my heart, it led me to where I am today. That alone makes my time at SFC meaningful.

In a student life where it's easy to compare yourself to others or be swept away, the fact that I was able to find something I was purely attracted to was thanks to the place called SFC, the slow passage of time there, and the people around me. That's why I love SFC.