Totsuka Festival Draws 5500 Attendees

Meiji Gakuin University hosted its annual Totsuka Festival at the Yokohama campus on the weekend of May 26 (Sat) and 27 (Sun). Approximately 5,500 attendees packed performances, food and shopping stalls, and other events throughout the weekend. 

Among the festival’s most popular special guests were several donkeys and baby and adult goats. Goats are used throughout the warm seasons as an environmentally friendly way to keep the grass at the Yokohama campus trimmed. Their appearance at the festival helped raise awareness of campus sustainability initiatives—and made for a fun virtual trip to the zoo for students! 

Food stalls offered standard festival favorites as well as all sorts of international options, with some items selling out on the 27th. The menus featured yakisoba, tteokbokki (Korean stir-fried rice cakes), special potstickers made by students, and much more. 

Participants also enjoyed a range of musical acts at the La La Live and Totsu-Totsu Fes events, a soap bubble performance by the Sugiyama Brothers, stalls selling specialty products from Kumamoto Prefecture to benefit recovery from the 2016 earthquakes in that region, games of boccia (a Paralympic sport), and mini 4WD vehicle displays fun for fans young and old alike. All of the events drew large and enthusiastic crowds.

Thanks to all who attended the festival this year. We hope you’ll join us again next year!

Visit the university’s Twitter page to view a short video of the event:
https://twitter.com/MeijiGakuinUniv/status/1000283110582321153