Mumbai Tomonkai

About the Mumbai Tomonkai

The Mumbai Tomonkai started holding gatherings regularly from March 2015, and became an officially recognized Tomonkai in August that year. As of January 2016, we have 25 registered members. Although the number of members is small, we are a very cozy group with members that consist of both male and female, young and old. At present, we are holding events every two months or so. Although there are various restrictions in Mumbai to the sort of entertainment we can enjoy, we hold gatherings where we loudly sing “Konpeki no Sora” and the school song together. We also hold joint gatherings and Waseda-Keio Golf Competitions with the Mumbai Mitakai. We are following the good old tradition of rivalry with the Mitakai, and are actively playing important roles here in Mumbai as Waseda alumni in the same manner as when we were students.
Daichi Hiramatsu (Graduated in 2013, School of International Liberal Studies)

The attractive points of Mumbai

I traveled around India for three months during the summer in 2004 when I was a student. I could not forget the strange love for India that begun to grow then, and I was lucky to be sent to Mumbai after telling my boss that I wanted to work in India. In New Delhi, compared to 12 years ago, there are subways running, beggars have disappeared from the center of the city, and Japanese food can be found everywhere. I cannot help but feel that the times have changed greatly. However, in Mumbai, it is difficult to feel the growth of the Indian economy. We are facing chronic traffic jam. The roads are filled with homeless people. Most of the restaurants still serve Indian food. I dare say that the advertisements of smartphones are the only things that are new in the city’s landscape.

However, it is obvious that Mumbai, also known as Bollywood, has always been the cultural center of India. We can at times feel the energy to change the conservative image of India here; for example, young people enjoy dancing with foreigners at discos, and entrepreneurs renovate old buildings to establish restaurants which serve to connect India’s past with its present.

We can easily get to know Indian people here if we try to accept a wide range of people with different values and sense of time, including children coming to you with friendly smiles and people of all ages and both genders enjoying looking out over the Arabian Sea. I hope that many people will come here to feel and enjoy the attractive points of such a peaceful town.
Shogo Horiguchi (Graduated in 2005, School of Law)

Message from the Chairperson

Mumbai (India) is located on the west coast of India facing the Arabian Sea, at around lat.19 N (which is the same as that of Hawaii and Hainan Islands). It is the center of the Indian economy and commerce. It is also a cultural city which makes the most number of movies in the world. (Another name of Mumbai is Bollywood, which comes from the former name of Mumbai, Bombay.)

The Mumbai Tomonkai was established in March 2015. Mumbai is narrow and extends north and south. There are several locations within the city where Japanese people live, and it was difficult for us to get in touch with each other on a regular basis; however, we increased the number of members by word of mouth, finding Waseda alumni one by one. At present, the number of members stands at 25, and the people who went back to Japan established the Mumbai Tomonkai Tokyo Branch (which is not officially recognized), so that we can enjoy exchanges 6,700 kilometers away from each other.

Our events including gatherings, Waseda-Keio Golf Competitions, and joint gatherings are conducted based on our motto, “Be easygoing and have fun”. Our events get more exciting each time, and we are also planning to hold events to enjoy exchanges with Waseda alumni living in Pune, which is close to Mumbai. Just like today’s Mumbai, a large city formed by reclaiming land between small islands, the members of the Mumbai Tomonkai seek to unite as one to exhibit Waseda spirit here. Please let us know when you are visiting India.
Yuji Tsuchiya (Graduated in 1990, School of Education)

Messages from the Members

It is almost two years since I came to Mumbai. I feel even more in Mumbai than when I was working in Japan that Waseda alumni are wonderful people and are closely connected. There are about 650 Japanese people living in Mumbai, and we have a very small Japanese society here. Japanese people working in various industries, staying here for both short-term and long-term, have come here and are working on a certain mission. For us, this kind of connection is not only useful to enjoy leisure, but can sometimes even provide us with emotional support. The number of members is increasing as we hold events, where people of all ages and both genders gather. We are always inspired by our events, work, and daily lives. I hope the Mumbai Tomonkai will develop further in the near future.
Mari Sano (Graduated in 2007, School of Commerce)

When I was assigned to work in Mumbai in the beginning of 2015, I felt excited to come to a city with a long history, somewhat at a loss to be thrown into an unknown world, and was eager to meet new people. That sort of feeling could be similar to that I had when I was looking forward to enroll at Waseda. In both my official and private life here, there are always things that surprise me; however, I often regain control of myself through the exchanges with my seniors who are always calm, juniors who are full of energy, and those who are about my age at the Tomonkai. I am spending every day thinking that Mumbai is my current battlefield.
Kotaro Ichikawa (Graduated in 1993, School of Law)

A year and a half has passed since I came to work in Mumbai, India. I get a stomachache from drinking water. I get a sore throat from inhaling air. There is garbage everywhere. The city is overcrowded with men, cows, dogs, and pigeons. I hear the sounds of horns and drums all the time. The city cannot, with the best will in the world, be described as comfortable. In such environment, I always cheer up and make up my mind to continue to do my best after I meet people at the Tomonkai and laugh together at the stories of the hardships I have experienced here. As there are many troubles in this country, we are all the more strongly connected to both Indians and other Japanese people here.
Marie Kojima (Graduated in 2007, School of Education)

As everything is very different from Japan here in Mumbai, the connection with other Japanese people here working hard to strengthen the Indian economy is a source of energy for me. I became a member of the Mumbai Tomonkai right after I came to work here, and am learning everything from the tips for living here to business in India. Here in Mumbai, I am learning a lot from my seniors from Waseda. At the end of our gatherings, we loudly sing the school song just as we did when we were students. It is this strong connection of Waseda alumni that motivates us to continue to work hard.
Daigaku Suzuki (Graduated in 2013, School of Culture, Media and Society)

Covered in Waseda Gakuho, April 2016 Issue

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