Graduation season is in full swing. At Nippon Budokan near Palaceside Building in Takebashi, Tokyo, major university ceremonies take place day after day.
On the 26th it was Meiji University, headquartered in Kanda Surugadai. Truly a "mammoth university" graduation. Even the vast Budokan could not hold all graduates and parents at once, so ceremonies were split morning and afternoon. Around the venue, male graduates wore dark suits while most women wore furisode or hakama. Some international students wore ethnic dress such as chima jeogori.
After the ceremony, graduates gathered in circles with clubs, seminars, and close friends in open spaces in Kitanomaru Park and elsewhere for commemorative photos and blessings from current students in their own styles. Especially striking was the American football team Roadrunners' "farewell ritual." Current students in purple uniforms called out each graduate by name, surrounded them, and leaped together in joy. Finally they hoisted graduates on their shoulders to celebrate graduation and mourn parting.