Keio Senior High School Hokkaido School Trip in the 1950s and 60s

Image: At the Mount Hakodate Observatory (Mid-1950s to 60s)

When meeting classmates from Keio Senior High School after turning 60, the conversation almost always turns to the "heroic tales" (...) of the 3rd-year Hokkaido school trip. These school trips began in 1952, the fifth year after the school's founding, and continued for about half a century until 1998, when the format changed to elective trips where students chose their own timing and destination. While a student only participates once, as a teacher, I participated in eight more Hokkaido school trips. As a result, I can share memories not only with my classmates but also with my former students. Furthermore, it became a common topic with seniors who would say, "Back in our day..." and served as a sort of identity for Keio Senior High School graduates that allowed them to bond instantly.

One memory that can never be topped by our older seniors is the practice of all classes traveling together, which continued until 1962. For the railway, a dedicated charter train was arranged through the Japanese National Railways, and for buses, it was a massive travel group of up to 20 vehicles, including headquarters and spare cars, gathered from various bus companies. It must have been a truly exhilarating sight.

I have experienced various means of transportation to Hokkaido, including the Seikan Ferry, the Seikan Tunnel, and airplanes, but the common element in all of them was sightseeing in Hakodate. From the mid-1950s/60s onward, it became standard to stop at the Mount Hakodate Observatory to take commemorative photos with the city and squid fishing boats in the background. 1972 was the year I participated as a student. It is a deeply memorable photo with my homeroom teacher, Mr. Satoshi Tabe, and the headquarters staff member, Mr. Toshio Shibata, on either side, and me in the back row. It was a group photo taken right after arriving in Aomori by sleeper train and stepping foot in Hokkaido for the first time via the Seikan Ferry. At the time, I had no idea that something outrageous was about to happen. As a member of the travel committee, I was essentially a servant to my classmate, a "6th-year student" (...) senior K. I had to spend a sleepless night waiting for the return of my senior, who had escaped from the inn by taxi with a single command: "Take care of the roll call." After the trip, I was told heroic tales that I, as a committee member, knew nothing about—such as buying bottles before entering the inn and hiding them under uniforms, or throwing cans out of the window of the return sleeper train. Similar stories were told to me years later by former students, now middle-aged men, who confessed to repeated mischief behind their teacher's back. The school trip, which remains the greatest memory for Keio Senior High School graduates, is no longer held. It is a great shame.

(Shunichiro Ishikawa, Professor Emeritus, Keio University)