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

Thursday, November 21, 2024

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

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, making them 80 years old.

Sixty-four 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 one person's contact information is unknown.)

For the first five years after graduation, reunions were held twice a year at members' homes, 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 request of Yoichi Fujita, who lives in Sapporo, Katsuhiro Nagai, the only person living in Hokuryu 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-Mibaushi Public Simple Educational Center (14 students)
• 1919 (Taisho 8): Renamed Mibaushi Elementary School (112 students)
• 1947: The school was renamed Hokuryu Village Mibaushi Elementary School.
• 1951: Mibaushi Elementary and Junior High Schools established together (combined classes)
• 1982: Closed
• The elementary school and junior high school are in the same building. Both elementary and junior high schools have combined classes. In elementary school, the lower and upper grades are separated into their own classes. In 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 class consisted of four elementary school students and one junior high school student.

A screening to experience the charm of Hokuryu Town

The reunion gathered at Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen around 4pm. In 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. Noboru Terauchi, operator of the Hokuryu Town Portal, gave a commentary.

Social gathering

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

Status report

Katsuhiro Nagai

"Fujita contacted me to say that he wanted to hold this reunion in his hometown of Hokuryu. He came to visit when the Rumoi Line was closed in March, and I thought it was about time we held a 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 Mr. Fujita visited Hokuryu, I was using a cane to walk. This year, I was diagnosed with another illness and was confined to a wheelchair. Due to a combination of various problems, including heart, high blood pressure, anemia, and kidney problems, I was no longer able to undergo surgery. Currently, I take many medications and inject myself into my knees, and I am somehow able to stand and walk.

After receiving a call from Mr. Fujita, we managed to arrange a date and finally managed to hold the reunion in my hometown of Hokuryu on this day. Thank you all so much for coming despite the bad weather.

The last reunion was held at Numata Horoshin Hotarukan in 2018 (Heisei 30), but this will be the first time it has been 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 healthy and able to make it to this day. It's really great!"

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

"I would like to introduce Yoichi Fujita, who always livens up this gathering. 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 the green hills and high in the clouds. I'm 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 there is one member whose contact information is unknown. We would like to offer a moment of silence for these four people. A moment of silence! We believe the four members would be very happy. Thank you!

Today, I hope to have a 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 age, let's celebrate our reunion and toast to everyone's health!!!"

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

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

Since the Reiwa era began, I have been hospitalized twice for cerebral infarction, but for better or worse, I am doing well now. My parents and siblings have died early, but I have been protected and currently have customers booking 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 want to stay healthy, so I work hard and enjoy the job I love.

The oldest customer is 98 years old. I am able to live a healthy life thanks to the support and energy of the customers who come to visit me."

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 trying 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, such as 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 doing well.

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 family members in total, so that's about the total. Relatives in Hokuryu Town include Yutaka Sano, Oba, 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 Professor Murai Toshihiro sparked excitement.

• The first group of students that Mr. Toshihiro Murai was in charge of after becoming a teacher were 14 first-year junior high school students. While they were enthusiastically participating in his first school event, Mr. Murai was hospitalized for surgery for acute appendicitis (appendicitis).
• All the students in his class went to visit him, and he seemed anxious, saying, "We haven't decided what we're going to do in the school play."
• Mr. Murai decided to stage an operetta (small opera). 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, reached the end of the piece in a week and completed it. Their brilliant performance on the day was met with thunderous 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 got to attend the reunion and had an emotional meeting with my students for the first time in 40 years!
• "Even though it was 40 years ago, these kids haven't forgotten a thing," said the man, as I drank my drink with a passionate heart in the midst of a group of people who no longer knew who was teacher and who was student," according to an article in Press Sorachi (dated September 18, 1996) from that time.

Food

Everyone talked about their own health, their current situation, their family, and old memories, and the fun conversation continued endlessly.

We reluctantly ended the social gathering, and afterwards we all enjoyed a relaxing soak in the hot springs, followed by a second party that continued into the night.

breakfast

Town bus tour (mainly in the Mibaushi area)

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

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

Mr. Tsuji was fitted with an oxygen tank due to interstitial pneumonia and was unable to stay overnight, but he did join us on a bus tour of Hokuryu Town the next day.

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

Departure from Hokuryu Onsen 10:00 start

We head towards the Mibaushi area, looking out the window at the new Kurosengoku Business Cooperative Association headquarters, which was built this year.

"Ah! Right there! That's the XX house."
"This was Mr./Ms. 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 Hokuryu 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. Exhibits include the industry, lifestyle, and agricultural equipment of the time, as well as photographs and documents, and materials from the former JR Sapporo-Numa Line's Wa Station. Dioramas and videos depicting current seasonal scenery and events are also shown.

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

Still deeply moved, we left the local history museum and headed to Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen.

Lunch: Restaurant "Fusha"

Lunch at the restaurant "Kazuma" in Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen.

They enjoyed the delicious soba noodles from Hokuryu Town and savored the precious time they spent together.

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

Souvenir: Kurosengoku soybean set!

Nagai-san 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, I wish the wonderful Mibaushi Alumni Association, where the precious spirit of harmony is passed on...

Reunion Memory Album

YouTube videos

Other 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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◇ Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi (Photography and editing assistance: Noboru Terauchi)