22 October 20th Anniversary of Tokosai, New Outfit, and a New High Spirit
On 22 October 2023 the 20th anniversary of the Tokorozawa Campus Festival, shortened to “Tokosai”, was held. With the effects of COVID-19 calming down, the festival decided to take on a new slogan “Remake Tokosai, the 20th Tokosai”. The idea behind this new slogan is to revive the vigor from before the pandemic, and at the same time show off the new and improved Tokosai.
The pre-pandemic Tokosai was said to be often so crowded that it was almost impossible to walk through the crowds of people. The current students hosting the Tokosai say that they want to keep this spirit that was the result of the hard work of the students that came before them. However, at the same time, the current students want to create a new experience, something of their own and something that better fits a world after the effects of COVID-19. They also emphasize the importance of connecting to the local area.
With the hopes of bringing back the spirit of the pre-pandemic Tokosai, this year’s festival will host the artists FAKE TYPE. and Taisei Miyakawa. They have also come up with many games to help attract guests and encourage engagement from the attendees.
Japanese article:10月22日開催！ 20周年の「所祭」は装い新たに活気を創る
The Student Group that Provides Information on Fashion X Sustainability
“Rethink Fashion Waseda” is a student group whose goal is to spread awareness about fashion and sustainability. The group was established by 6 members, who are part of the School of International Liberal Studies during the pandemic, in 2020. All 6 of the members had a deep interest in the fashion world’s environmental pollution and human rights violations.
The group’s main work is following news related to the fashion industry in order to learn more about it. Then they relay information about content that they believe aligns with their interpretation of sustainability in fashion. The group spreads this information through Instagram, YouTube, and our website, and they often hold various events, such as secondhand flea market events.
The group, also known as ReF, does its best to ensure sustainability and spread awareness about fashion in its own way. The group hopes to enact a positive change in modern society. In August 2023, the group hosted a pop-up event where they mainly sold second-hand goods, but they also showed items made by sustainable brands and sold some of their original goods as well.
Japanese article:Fashion✕Sustainabilityの情報を発信する学生団体です
Through the Production and Sales of the Eco-bag, I Learned how the Environment Relates to Our Lives
Since June 2022, Yotaro Koga, a 4th year at the School of Education, has participated in the Eco-bag Production Project with the Waseda University Co-op. The goal of the project is to design an eco-friendly bag that is useful for students like himself. The group was composed of 3 student members, of which Koga was mainly in charge of the logo and poster design.
He decided to join work on the project because he started questioning whether efforts being taken to help with environmental issues were truly the best option. While discussing the production of the bag, the group started wondering why eco-bags are typically made from materials that weren’t environmentally friendly to begin with. The group was then introduced to a Jeans manufacturing company in Kochi Prefecture, isa. They used the leftover parts of the materials used to make the jeans in order to create their eco-bags.
After working on this project, he became more aware of and sensitive to the impact of things that negatively affect the environment. He believes that this experience with the project has helped him become more aware of environmental issues that surround him.
Japanese article:デニム工房の端切れでエコバッグを制作・販売 環境と生活の関わりを知るきっかけに
