Extracurricular Program "Making Tomorrow's Commute to School Fun! Geography and History Tour around Ichigaya Campus" (12/17)

Hosei University, Extracurricular Education Program "Tomorrow's Commute to School will be Fun! Geography and History Tour around Ichigaya Campus" was held on December 17 (Fri.).

The program featured Norihisa Minagawa, president of the Tokyo Suribachi Society, who conducts observations and records through fieldwork focusing on uneven terrain and is also a part-time lecturer at Hosei University's Faculty of Engineering and Design. After a preliminary lecture, the participants strolled around the Kagurazaka and Iidabashi areas to learn about the history and geography of these areas, which were developed by taking advantage of the natural topography, including the outer moat of Edo Castle and the Ushigome Gate, with the aim of sparking interest in the Ichigaya Campus area, which they usually visit without much thought.

First, Mr. Minagawa gave a lecture on the topography of the Ichigaya Campus area. He talked about the characteristics of the Musashino Plateau in Tokyo, where the Ichigaya Campus is located, and how the land around the Ichigaya Campus and the rivers (Kanda River and Nihonbashi River) flowing nearby were developed in the Edo period to form the current topography. It was very informative to learn that the area from the Imperial Palace to the Ichigaya Campus used to be a hill, and that the rivers used to flow on gentle slopes and that the outer moat was originally a river.

Next, we went for a walk outside the campus. By actually walking through the land we learned about in the lecture, we were able to get a feel for the origin and history of the place names and the topography of the area. In particular, after hearing the explanation that "Akagi Shrine stands on a cliff because it is on the edge of a plateau," when visiting Akagi Shrine at the end of the walk, students looked at the back entrance of the shrine and saw that it was actually cliff-shaped, a scene that made them realize the topographical features.

During the day's walk, it was impressive to see the participating students enthusiastically recording the contents while taking pictures of the topography with their own smart phones. We were also pleased to see students actively asking questions of Mr. Minagawa and interacting with other students, creating an environment in which they could talk casually in a way that is only possible on a city walk.

We hope that this program will encourage students to take an interest not only in the Ichigaya Campus area, but also in the places they usually walk around, and enjoy walking around the city.

Report by KYOPRO staff] Kyomi Yaguchi (Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science, 2nd year)