Many universities have announced they will cancel their graduation ceremonies as the new coronavirus continues to spread. Some institutions are busy with cancellations of large events, and kimono fabric dealers are suffering as hakama skirt rentals are canceled. One student said, "I've been deprived of the last chance to spend time with my friends."
Meiji University was scheduled to hold its graduation ceremony at the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on March 23. The university has held graduation ceremonies at the Nippon Budokan hall in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, since 1966, but this year it started looking for another venue because the hall was scheduled to undergo repair work ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. "The cancellation of the graduation ceremony is a heartbreaking decision," said a person in charge who has been preparing for the major event, which 12,000 people including graduates and parents were expected to attend.
The University of Tokyo holds two graduation ceremonies each year, dividing the departments between one ceremony or another, and about 6,000 students and parents attend. This year's event was scheduled to take place at the university's Yasuda Auditorium on March 24, but the scale of the event has been drastically reduced as only 13 students from each department will be there. The ceremony will be broadcast online.
In late February, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry asked universities to consider whether they need to hold graduation ceremonies, and to reduce the number of participants and the length of the events to prevent the spread of infection. "This is not a uniform request for self-restraint," the ministry said.
Many reservations for hakama skirt and kimono rentals have also been canceled.
Suzunoya, a nationwide chain of kimono shops based in Tokyo, has received more than 1,500 cancellations for hakama rentals since late February.
Wearing hakama at graduation ceremonies became popular among female university students in the 1990s after actress Yoko Minamino wore the clothing in a movie based on the popular manga "Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern."
The rental fee for a hakama and kimono set starts from 50,000 yen to 60,000 yen. The company has already received more than 10,000 pre-orders this year.
Usually, a cancellation fee is charged from about two months before the date of use, but this time, the company decided to refund the full amount. "The situation is beyond the control of students. The damage is huge, but we decided to deal with it considering the feelings of the students who were looking forward to the ceremony," a person in charge said.
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