The 40th graduating class of Hokuryu Town Mihoushi Elementary School and the 9th graduating class of Mihoushi Junior High School. The precious spirit of harmony is being passed down.

Thursday, November 21, 2024

The two-day, one-night class reunion for the 40th graduating class of Hokuryu Town's Mihoushi Elementary School and the 9th graduating class of Mihoushi Junior High School was held in Hokuryu Town from Sunday, November 17th to Monday, November 18th.

Held in Hokuryu Town for the first time in nine years

There were 14 students who graduated from Mibaushi Junior High School in 1960. They were all born in 1944 and are now 80 years old.

64 years have passed since we graduated from junior high school, and this was our 17th reunion. Currently, our classmates live in Sapporo (5 people), Numata (2 people), Hokuryu (1 person), Yokohama (1 person), etc. (4 people have passed away, and 1 person's contact information is unknown.)

For the first five years after graduation, reunions were held twice a year at members' homes in rotation, but since around 1972, they have been held about once every five years in Sapporo or Numata town.

This will be the first time the event has been held in his hometown of Hokuryu Town in nine years since 2015 (Heisei 27).

At the invitation of Yoichi Fujita, a resident of Sapporo, Katsuhiro Nagai, the only person living in Kitaryū Town, served as the organizer for this event.

Mibaushi Elementary and Junior High School

• 1903 (Meiji 36): Founded as a private educational institution by Kabata Ichitaro and Hosokawa Ichitaro
• 1904 (Meiji 37): Founded as Oku-Mihaushi Public Elementary School (14 students)
• 1919 (Taisho 8): Renamed Mibaushi Elementary School (112 students)
• 1947: The school was renamed Hokuryu Village Mihoushi Elementary School.
• 1951: Mibaushi Elementary and Junior High School established (multi-grade classes)
• 1982: Closed
• The elementary school and junior high school are in the same building. Both the elementary school and junior high school have multi-grade classes. In the elementary school, the lower grades and the upper grades are separated into their own classes. In the junior high school, students from 1st to 3rd grade studied together in the same class.
• Since its opening, the school has produced 888 elementary school graduates in 77 years and 423 junior high school graduates in 31 years.
• The school closed in 1982, and the last graduating students were four from the elementary school and one from the junior high school.

A screening event to experience the charm of Hokuryu Town

The reunion gathered at Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen at around 4pm. At the multipurpose hall (2nd floor) of Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen, we watched a YouTube video from the Hokuryu Town Portal about the current state of our hometown, Hokuryu Town. The operator of the Hokuryu Town Portal, Noboru Terauchi, gave a commentary.

Social gathering

We then moved to the banquet hall from around 6pm, where we enjoyed delicious food and endless nostalgic conversation.

Updates

Mr. Masahiro Nagai

"Fujita contacted me because he wanted to hold the reunion in his hometown of Hokuryu. He came to visit us when the Rumoi Line was closed in March, and I thought it was about time we held the reunion in Hokuryu. However, after that he began to feel unwell due to various reasons and was hospitalized twice, so I thought it might not be possible to hold the reunion in Hokuryu.

Last fall, when Fujita-san came to Hokuryu, I was walking with a cane. This year, I was diagnosed with another illness and was in a wheelchair. I was unable to undergo surgery due to a combination of problems with my heart, high blood pressure, anemia, kidneys, etc. Currently, I am able to stand and walk by giving myself injections in my knees, in addition to taking many medicines.

After receiving a call from Mr. Fujita, we managed to arrange the date and time, and finally managed to hold the reunion in my hometown of Hokuryu Town on this day. Thank you very much to everyone who came to join us despite the bad weather.

The last reunion was held at the Hotarukan in Numata Horoshin in 2018 (Heisei 30), but this will be the first time it is held in Hokuryu Town in nine years since 2015 (Heisei 27).

You were all born in 1944 (Showa 19) and will be turning 80 this year. Congratulations!

I'm glad that everyone is in good health and that we were able to reach this day. It's really great!"

(Everyone asked us not to talk about our age!)

"I would like to introduce Mr. Fujita Yoichi, who always livens up this event. I would also like to ask for a moment of silence to pray for the souls of the four members who have passed away," said Nagai.

Yoichi Fujita

"I love Mibagyu, where I was born and raised, on green hills and high in the clouds. I am happy to be able to hold a reunion here with you all.

Prior to the event, four of the 14 members have passed away, and one person's contact information is still unknown. We would like to offer a moment of silence for these four members. A moment of silence! I'm sure the four members are happy about this. Thank you very much!

Today, I hope to have some nostalgic conversation and have a fun and enjoyable time. Thank you very much."

Toast leader: Emiko Matsuzaka (maiden name Nakayama)

"It's been a while, everyone. Let's not talk about our ages, let's celebrate our reunion and toast to everyone's health!!!"

In 1992, I closed the salon I had been running for 43 years, but now I rent space in my son's salon and continue to work as a hairdresser. I see three to four customers a day, and all of them are by appointment.

My husband and I are doing our best to care for our elderly relatives. With your help every day, we will continue to work hard.

Since the beginning of the Reiwa era, I have been hospitalized twice for cerebral infarction, but for better or worse, I am doing well now. Although my parents and siblings have died young, I have been protected and am currently receiving appointments every day until the end of the year.

My health is the most important thing to me. I also care about my 88-year-old husband, but I also need to stay healthy, so I work hard and enjoy the job I love.

The oldest customer is 98 years old. He is alive and well thanks to the support and energy of his customers."

Toshio Mizutani

"When we get together as a group, we talk about trust. Now, I don't own a house, I live alone in an apartment, and I'm doing my best to survive!"

Shizuko Ishikawa (maiden name: Hayashi)

"I'm happy to be able to celebrate my 80th birthday with everyone at this reunion. I currently live alone, so I enjoy spending my time doing whatever I want, like shopping, taking walks, and cleaning."

Terumi Moriya (maiden name: Sano)

"I am very happy to be able to meet and talk with you all like this, 64 years after we graduated.

I haven't done anything particularly special, but my husband and I are enjoying good health.

I have about 70 cousins on both my mother and father's sides. Both my father and mother had 9 to 10 siblings, so since it was a long time ago, there are about 6 to 7 people in my family, so that makes about 7 total. Relatives in Hokuryu include Yutaka Sano, Ooba, Fujisaki, and Hoshiba.

Memories of my first year junior high school teacher, Mr. Toshihiro Murai

Among the many memories from elementary and junior high school, the talk about teacher Toshihiro Murai was particularly lively.

• The first group of students that Toshihiro Murai was in charge of after becoming a teacher were 14 first-year junior high school students. While they were enthusiastically preparing for their first school event, he was hospitalized for surgery for acute appendicitis (appendicitis).
• All the students in his class went to visit him, and they seemed anxious, saying, "We haven't decided what to do at the school play."
• Mr. Murai decided to stage an operetta. He arranged the opera "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," decided on the cast, and instructed the students on singing and dancing. The students, who had excellent memories, completed the final piece in one week, and their brilliant performance on the day was met with loud applause from the audience.
• Due to business trips and meetings, I was unable to attend the reunion for the graduates of Mibaushi Elementary and Junior High School, but in 1996 (Heisei 8), I finally fulfilled my wish to attend the reunion and had an exciting meeting with my students for the first time in 40 years!
• "Although it was 40 years ago, these children have not forgotten one bit. In a circle where it became unclear who was teacher and who was student, I drank from the cup with a passionate heart," reads an article in "Press Sorachi" (dated September 18, 1996) from that time.

cooking

Each person talked about their own health, their current situation, their family, and old memories from the past, and the fun conversation continued without end.

With a heavy heart, the social gathering came to a close, after which we all took a relaxing bath in the hot springs, before moving on to the after-party, which continued into the night.

breakfast

Town bus tour (Mibaushi area)

The next morning, we took a bus tour of the town, mainly around the Mibaushi area, and then visited the local history museum at Hokuryu Town Community Center.

Mr. Kiyoshi Tsuji, a resident of Numata Town, participated.

Mr. Tsuji was fitted with an oxygen tank due to interstitial pneumonia and was therefore unable to stay the night, but he did come along for a bus tour of Kitaryū town the following day.

For everyone, memories of their past lives came back to them like a slideshow, and they were filled with nostalgia and emotion that made their hearts warm.

Departure from Hokuryu Onsen 10:00 start

We head towards the Mibaushi area, with the new Kurosengoku Business Cooperative Association headquarters, which was built this year, visible from the train window.

"Ah! Right there! That's the XX house."
"This was Mr. XX's family home."
"I remember playing in that reservoir pond back then and almost drowning."

Scenes from over 60 years ago will come back to your mind with nostalgia.

The bus headed to the community center and visited the Kitaryū Town Local History Museum, located on the second floor of the library inside the center.

Visit to Hokuryu Town Local History Museum

The local history museum recreates the state of Hokuryu Town at the time of its development. It displays the industry, lifestyle, agricultural equipment, photographs and documents from that time, as well as documents from the former JNR Sapporo-Numa Line's Wa Station. Dioramas and videos showing current seasonal scenery and events are also on display.

Many of the exhibits, such as agricultural machinery, were actually used at the time, and the visitors reminisced about days gone by, explaining in detail how they used them.

Still overwhelmed by our excitement, we left the local museum and headed to Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen.

Lunch: Restaurant "Kazuma"

Lunch at restaurant "Kazuguruma" in Sunflower Park Kitaryu Onsen.

While enjoying delicious Hokuryu Town soba noodles, they thoroughly enjoyed the precious time they spent with everyone.

Enjoy the delicious soba noodles of Hokuryu Town!
The endless conversation concluded with a delicious cup of coffee.

Souvenir: Kurosengoku soybean set!

Mr. Nagai prepared a Kurosengoku soybean set as a souvenir!

Sixty-four years have passed since I graduated from school in my hometown as a young man, and many fond memories of those days come back to me...

With boundless love, gratitude and prayers to the wonderful Mibaushi Alumni Association, where the precious spirit of harmony is being passed down.

Class reunion memories album

Youtube Video

More Photos

Photos (238 photos) of the 40th graduating class of Hokuryu Town Mibaushi Elementary School and the 9th graduating class of Mibaushi Junior High School are available here >>

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◇ Reporting and writing by Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editorial assistance by Noboru Terauchi)