As the air becomes crisper and the leaves turn color, it marks a special time of year for the nation's universities. This is fall campus festival season, but the spread of the novel coronavirus has necessitated adaptations for this highly anticipated part of campus life, with many schools opting to take the fun online.
While these bastions of higher education are gradually returning to in-class lectures, campus life still faces limitations. The student organizers of the festivals are turning to the latest technology in an attempt to maximize this traditional experience as much as possible amid the adverse circumstances.
-- Final performance
On stages set up in auditoriums or classrooms on the campus of Tokyo's Waseda University, the performances of dance teams and musical bands were all captured on camera at the Wasedasai festival on Nov. 7 and 8.
"It is sad that there is no response from an audience, but we are thankful that there is a place where we can put on the culmination of our efforts," said junior Takumu Watanabe, 20, the leader of the "Yosakoi Team Tokyo Hanabi" dance team.
In normal years, the Wasedasai festival attracts as many as 200,000 visitors. This year marks the first time for it to be held online. About 200 groups participated in the event, with both live performances and prerecorded content being streamed on the internet.
The main channel received about 120,000 views during the festival. The students spent late nights studying filming and distribution techniques, and visited companies to solicit sponsorships.
"One good thing about going online is that people who are far away can see it," said junior Hinata Fukushima, 21, head of the Wasedasai organizing committee. "Many people watched it."
-- Using virtual reality
Cutting-edge technology was on full display at Keio University's Mitasai festival, to be held on its Mita campus on Nov. 22 and 23.
Using virtual reality technology, an app transported the user to the Mita campus 100 years in the future, allowing them to create an alter ego "Avatar" in a game-like experience. Drone recording and augmented reality (AR) technology were used at the stage performances to create realistic images.
"For those who couldn't come, we want them to think about the campus of the future," said senior Kenichi Shibata, 23, chairman of Mitajitsu committee.
Meanwhile, at the University of Tokyo's Komaba Festival, to be held from Nov. 21 to 23, videos of experiments, mock trials, rakugo story telling were shown on the website along with illustrations of the campus. Handicrafts were available for online sales.
"We want to recreate online the feeling of a regular campus festival, as if you were walking around campus and seeing events," said sophomore Hanyu Nakahara, 20, chairman of the festival committee.
-- Positive feelings
The information website "Let's Enjoy Tokyo" found that, as of Nov. 13, the number of fall campus festivals in the Tokyo metropolitan area that were canceled was 163, while 113 went online. Only three were open to visitors from outside the university.
Jishu Hoseisai, Hosei University's festival on its Ichigaya campus, was one of the three that allowed visitors.
Held between Nov. 5 and 8, the number of outside visitors was limited to 1,000 per day, including the families of students and alumni. All had to apply in advance.
"Many students are feeling isolated and depressed due to the continued use of online classes," said Masaru Saito, head of the university's Student Center. "This is an opportunity to encourage them to feel positive. I want to convey the obvious fact that if you take measures against infection, you can meet friends on campus."
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