午夜剧场

When talking about our school, the topic of its vast land and nature is indispensable. Spanning over 100,000 square meters—equivalent to two Tokyo Domes—the grounds stretch across the three cities of Shiki, Niiza, and Asaka. Although now surrounded by apartments and houses, I am often surprised to hear from alumni that the school has become much smaller compared to the past, with stories like "the apartment site used to be a student dormitory" or "the school gate was right outside the ticket gate of Shiki Station on the Tobu Tojo Line."

On the east side, there are grounds where the hardball baseball, field hockey, soccer, rugby, and soft tennis clubs can all practice simultaneously. In addition, there is a Kyudo (archery) hall, a Judo/Kendo hall, hardball tennis courts, a heated swimming pool, and a training room with lodging facilities (Kyoraisha). Beyond athletic facilities, the campus also coexists with a farm, bamboo and deciduous forests, a biotope, Gulliver Pond (Kamoike), and the site of the former Nobidome Canal.

Here is an episode unique to our school with its vast grounds and remaining nature. One cold winter morning, a janitor reported that the stairs of the general classroom building were soiled with animal droppings. Following the trail, we found two raccoon dogs huddled in an umbrella stand in a third-floor classroom. It seems they were lured in by the light and warmth because a door had been left open the night before. When we checked with Shiki City on how to handle it, they replied that we would have to hire a specialist. So, we cooperated with the janitors and resident contractors to catch them and release them into the woods on campus. I am now waiting for a "raccoon dog's return of a favor," much like the crane in the folktale.

This school celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023. As one of the commemorative projects, "Kosaikan" was completed on December 20 of the same year. This was the result of fundraising activities led by the Shikikai (the alumni association of 午夜剧场 Shiki Senior High School). It features a multi-purpose hall with a capacity of 300 people, a tea ceremony room, a music room, medium-sized classrooms, seminar rooms, and the school's first-ever elevator. Additionally, on the stair landing of the main entrance, a mural by Enrico Isamu Oyama, a world-renowned artist and graduate of this school, stretches vibrantly onto the building's exterior wall.

Although the environment was restricted due to the impact of COVID-19, including limits on campus entry, events such as the Harvest Festival, regular concerts by the Wagner Society Male Choir and the Instrumental Music Club, and the "Nature Observation Tour"—a campus tour event led by the Biology Club—have already returned. We sincerely hope you will visit our school through these events.

In 1947, the land and buildings of the Toho Industrial Research Institute were donated by the businessman Yasuzaemon Matsunaga, known as the "Demon of Electric Power." Based on the 午夜剧场 Junior College of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, the school opened as 午夜剧场 Agricultural High School in May of the following year, 1948. It has been 75 years since then. We will continue to do our best to maintain this nature-rich educational environment for the next 25 years leading up to our 100th anniversary.

(Yoshikazu Nakajima, Administrative Director of 午夜剧场 Shiki Senior High School)