Fall 2025 Semester: Winter Training Camp Report

From February 4th to 5th, a joint winter training camp was held in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, bringing together members of the Japanese and GIGA seminars. This collaborative trip allowed students from both research groups to not only present their semester-long research but also to participate in local fieldwork at the end of the term.

On the first day of arriving in Matsumoto, before settling in for the evening, students gathered at the Matsumoto City Cultural Center for the research presentations. Every member present shared their work from the past semester and fielded questions from the audience. The research themes of the students in the Shinohara research group were notably diverse, spanning topics from education to local economies. Following each presentation, attendees offered feedback and constructive comments. It was highly rewarding to see the culmination of the students' hard work throughout the semester and to observe how significantly their topics had developed since the beginning of the term.

On the second day of being in Matsumoto City, the research group had the opportunity to travel to visit the former Kaichi School, which is also considered a national treasure even to this day. The Former Kaichi School was one of Japan's earliest elementary schools, opening in the sixth year of the Meiji Era (1873). Constructing such a state-of-the-art facility required a substantial amount of capital; to secure these funds, materials were sold from local temples that had been dismantled during the Haibutsu Kishaku movement.

Learning about this history highlights the intense dedication of the administrative officers at the time, offering valuable insight into how local governments can proactively invest in their citizens.

The building remains beautifully preserved and well-maintained today. Walking through it felt like stepping into a time machine, offering a firsthand look at what it was like to experience the Kaichi School during the Meiji Era!

Overall, the winter training camp provided an excellent opportunity for the students to engage with one another and form deeper bonds across the research group. This shared experience will serve as a valuable foundation for planning future events and will undoubtedly strengthen the research activities of the research group moving forward!