Paris Tomonkai

About the Paris Tomonkai

Through the getting-together of Waseda comrades at Parisian bistro and cafe, Paris Tomonkai was officially established in 1988. Today, we have over 200 members (Of which one-third are the members who are in Tokyo and actively participating in the events of Paris Tomonkai Tokyo branch where they talk about memories in Paris). Led by the chairman, Kiyoji Katakawa, 18 executives are in charge of planning three types of gatherings 1) “Hokorobi-no-kai” that holds recreational events such as drinking party and ohanami (cherry blossom viewing), 2) “Sports-kai” that coordinates Waseda vs. Keio golf tournament, and 3) “Igyoshu-Koryu-kai” that plans lectures and social gatherings by inviting lecturers from various business industries. We have some events held by those gathering almost every month.

For the past 2 years, new members have been increasing by leaps and bounds through Tomonkai’s blog and facebook, and participants of our biggest event “New Year’s Party” has been skyrocketing. We continue to aim for making Paris Tomonkai such a circle where most of the members can participate in the event at ease and enjoy.

Paris Tomonkai website: http://blog.livedoor.jp/paristomonkai/
Paris Tomonkai facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/100374576712998/

The attractive points of Paris

First and foremost, Paris is the center of Europe. It is no exaggeration to say that the best and the greatest things in Europe get together in Paris. Especially, as for art, the greatest art works converge on Paris, particularly at Musée du Louvre. Musée du Louvre is originally a palace. The architecture itself is attractive, but still, what is the most fascinating is a number of art works of over 35,000. Almost no other museum has such a huge collection of works in the world. From the ancient Egyptian Sphinx as long as 5,000 years ago, Code of Hammurabi of the ancient Mesopotamia, to the paintings of Impressionnistes in the 19th century… you cannot possibly go through all of those art works in a day. Of all the standing exhibitions, the most overwhelming is the works painted during the period of Italian Renaissance. Represented by Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, you can see the whole array of famous works of Botticelli, Raffaello, and so on. Given the labor of the people whom we do not know and the period of time the Renaissance genius spent on the production, Musée du Louvre will be the space where dizzyingly huge energy and long time are agglomerated. Musée du Louvre is the very “power spot” which is now in fashion in Japan.

Go out after soaked in mysterious power at Musée du Louvre. The street of Paris is waiting for you with hustle-and-bustle, historic buildings, and pretty cafes.
Haruo Ito (Graduated in 1980, School of Political Science and Economics)

Message from the Chairperson

I have been in Paris for 34 years, and I have seen on the spot a thread of European history weaved one by one with many European countries’ events complexly tangled. It was around 1990 that I actively engaged in Paris Tomonkai, which was when East Germany and West Germany were reunified, and when European integration and the euro introduction started to be accelerated. At that time, the chairman was Mr. Wada, who revived the declining activities of Paris Tomonkai. I succeeded him 6 years ago and became a chairman. Now I am actively holding various events.

This year, there are 2 highlights in Tomonkai’s events. One is “Bazaar for supporting people afflicted by 3.11 Earthquake, co-sponsored by the alumni associations of the 3 universities; Waseda, Keio, and Sophia, cooperated by Akamon Gakuyukai of the University of Tokyo” It was such a big success! The other is “Career Lecture for the Youth”. They were planned in the hope that seniors working at the front line will be able to talk about what they do and their philosophy of life and their talks will help juniors work hard for Japan’s future.

From the view of foreigners, Japan appears to become smaller and smaller. It may sound exaggerating, but, by engaging in Tomonkai activities and events -of course including Career Lecture- I will make every effort to give a silver lining to Japan, always taking into account Japan’s future.
Kiyoji Katakawa (Graduated in 1969, School of Commerce)

Messages from the Members

Even if I am in Paris, I feel as if I was in Takadanobaba, Tokyo and can talk with peers candidly beyond generation… “Hokorobi-no-kai” I am in charge of is such a comfort place for me, and also a place for meeting new friends. Every year in this circle, we have cherry blossom viewing in parc de Sceaux, picnic at Paris Plages, and drinking parties, all of which are so exciting. In the future, I want to expand network of Waseda graduates by improving and updating Tomonkai blog.
Mika Kawakado (Graduated in 2004, School of Letters, Arts and Sciences)

Mesmerized by France, I even changed job and it has been over 16 years since I came to Paris. In my junior of Waseda University, I went to Paris for the first time during the summer vacation, where I was fascinated with the stained glass of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. That triggered my interest in living in this country. I think France epitomizes the positive aspects of Europe. Its climate is not so hot and not so cold. It goes without saying French cuisine is great. Those who are interested in culture and history cannot be bored in France, because there are so many places and spots to visit. If you are sports fan, you can watch top-notch sports games. It is true there are some negative things here in Paris, such as long queue at the supermarket checkout counter, bad manner of drivers, etc., but still France is attractive enough to set off those drawbacks. I am so pleased to be here in this fascinating country with great Tomonkai members. Now I am in charge of “Igyoshu-Koryu-kai” and I would be so happy if I can contribute even a little to the prosperity of Paris Tomonkai.
Takeshi Matsuda (Graduated in 1984, School of Letters, Arts and Sciences)

In Paris Tomonkai, there are Waseda alumni playing an important role in various fields. However, don’t forget the acting Waseda University students in Paris! Every year, about 20 students study abroad from Waseda University to the universities in Paris. Moreover, 5 Waseda graduate students are dispatched to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the international organization in Paris, as an intern. We the member of Paris Tomonkai talk with acting Waseda students about life over a glass of wine.
Kenta Usui (Graduated in 2008, School of International Liberal Studies)

Paris is beautiful and wonderful to live. My French friends and colleagues are great. Still, sometimes I feel tired when I am with them because of cultural differences and difference in custom/lifestyle. That is what Paris Tomonkai is for! At Tomonkai, I feel comfortable because I can interact and have a drink with the members without any shop talk. As a coordinator of “Sports-kai”, I plan Waseda vs. Keio golf tournament every year here in Paris. I want to increase an opportunity for the exchange of Tomonkai members other than in the golf tournament. I hope Paris Tomonkai ties will be succeeded to the next generation in the future.
Takehito Inui (Graduated in 1986, School of Political Science and Economics)

Covered in Waseda Gakuho, December 2011 Issue

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