It’s Halloween Twice a Year at the University of Kyoto: An Eclectic Graduation Ceremony Tradition
Dry-cleaned, smooth wool suits or heirloom silk kimonos: whatever your choice for graduation attire is, it’s boring. Sure, the dress code is hard to navigate colorfully, but this university in Kyoto knows how to graduate right.
The University of Kyoto has an ongoing tradition during the graduation ceremony where, instead, of a rented cap and gown, it’s Halloween all over again. Students bring out their most over-the-top, creative costumes to celebrate their years of arduous work. Of course, many students opt for the traditional Japanese kimono, but in a society so uncommonly cohesive to neutrality and rules, it’s the perfect opportunity to leap over these standards.
In fact, the University of Kyoto is known for its anti-authoritarian stance. If you rewind back to the 60s and 70s, the many rituals and annual events were much more chaotic and dangerous; students would wear hard hats, hijack the roof, or start fires, in opposition to the staff. This era now is significantly less savage but is loyal to its root.
It’s like a mardi gras parade in the center of Kyoto. Some dress up in full cosplay, some simply strip: there was a real bodybuilder one year, glazed and pumped. Thomas the Tank Engine is recurring, and world-renown politicians and E.T. sit in the same row of assigned seats. Where’s Wally has never been easier to find because, contrary to popular belief, it’s only a handful of students that go all out in these striking costumes.
It does help that many study art and sciences, giving them a head start in crafting their surprisingly functional and jaw-dropping outfits. One student managed to recreate a smaller version of Kyoto’s historical Thousand Gates, and others get witty with delicate balloon art.
This trend can be compared to the die-hard Greek life of American campuses, but to be fair, the dressed-up graduates of the University of Kyoto truly inspire change in the straightened Japanese academic culture, especially when college life in this country can be elitist and difficult.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
