People :
“Waseda festival 2006” Management Director
Mr. Naoki Shimada

Naoki Shimada was born in Tokyo in 1985. He graduated from Musahshi private high school and is currently a third-year student at the School of Political Science and Economics. He is a student of the Yabushita seminar. Naoki Sahimada gained experience by working as a member of the Waseda festival staff since his first year. He is president of the Prosopography Club, and his hobbies include reading and playing sport.

“The Waseda festival is the identification of Waseda University. The essence of our university rallies in this festival”, Naoki Shimada answers firmly to all questions about the Waseda festival. He is the director of the massive campus festival for 2006, and is outspoken about its importance. About 160000 visitors are expected, with 400 groups participating, and 500 management staff. All figures indicate that it is the biggest campus festival in Japan. To manage a festival of this magnitude requires top-class management skills. Naoki Shimada requires emotional strength from his staff and strong solidarity among staff members. “I requested all staff to participate in the Waseda 100 kilometer hike to train them on those skills. I told them that I would walk twice the distance, and so everyone else must participate too!” Although laughing as he says this, Shimada must be a very bighearted man, as he set off from Waseda University the day before the Waseda 100 kilometer hike and actually completed the round-trip. The entire group of 500 staff stand in unity with him because he is a man that keeps his word, and actually walked the 200 kilometers!

A born sports lover, in junior school and high school days Shimada belonged to a baseball club. When he entered university, he searched for something that he could really sink his teeth into. The “Waseda festival” was his answer, as he believed that, “I can do something big here”. In his first and second years at the university Shimada belonged to the festival planning department, where he gained valuable experience. However, since being chosen as director in his third year, he has had to alter his views about the festival, “I must think comprehensively about the Waseda festival 2006 itself, our staff members, visitors, neighboring inhabitants, how to train our juniors, and so on”. He also realizes that having fun is not everything. The Waseda festival 2006 will put great emphasis on security. The fact that all core staff members are holders of the higher certificate of emergency medical service is a good indication of this approach. However, even this powerful behind-the-scenes man still claims that, “I can't get the overall picture of “Waseda festival. It's like a huge monster I have been tackling for the past three years”. Shimada states with confidence that, “This year is going to the best Waseda festival ever”. There is no doubt in his words, which means we should all come and check it out ourselves.