Hong Kong Tomonkai

About the Hong Kong Tomonkai

The Hong Kong Tomonkai has a long history, which is said to have been established before the beginning of the WWII. Our group was officially registered as a Tomonkai in 1980, and currently has about 200 members. Not only do we hold annual general meetings, Christmas parties, and golf competitions to promote exchanges between members; but we also hold rice-cake pounding parties in the New Year (held jointly by the Tokyo Big 6, University of Hong Kong, and Chinese University of Hong Kong) and gatherings to promote international exchanges with international students. Through such activities, we seek to actively introduce Japanese culture and pass on information originated from Japan.

The eternal rivalry with the Mitakai is universal. In the annual party held jointly with Keio and Waseda, we fight a heated battle for the trophy in the beer drinking competition (called “regatta”), where teams made up of eight people compete for the time to drink up the beers. (We will be having a return match this year!) Moreover, we are holding voluntary gatherings including the gatherings for younger generations who graduated in the Heisei period (a training school for the “regatta”?) and women’s gatherings for Keio and Waseda alumnae. The Hong Kong Tomonkai Tokyo Branch was inaugurated in 2000, whose members are Waseda alumni who have returned from Hong Kong to Japan. Thus we are keeping in touch with one another.
Kikuko Kadowaki (Graduated in 1990, School of Humanities and Social Sciences)

The attractive points of Hong Kong

China has adopted the policy of “one country, two systems” for Hong Kong, which will maintain capitalism until 2047 even after the sovereignty was transferred from England to China in 1997. As it is conveniently located and is the gate to the mainland China for the people living in Japan, it has become an increasingly attractive place.

The population is about 7.1 million, and the area is about 1,100 km2, which is about a half of Tokyo. In such a small city, we can enjoy the beautiful night view, seafood, “Yumcha” (a Chinese eating style), food from everywhere around the world, shopping at world-famous brand stores, Disneyland, sole massage, transportation unique to Hong Kong including trams and double decker buses, etc., and thus everything necessary as a tourist city is here. The number of Japanese people living here is about 20,000. The Hong Kong Tomonkai is also one of the things that make up this city, with about 200 members.

Business-wise, less administrative regulations, well-prepared law system, free foreign exchange system, and simple and attractive tax system (Corporate tax is 16.5%, income tax is 15%, there are no consumption tax or tax for interest/dividend income) has attracted many major companies throughout the world to establish offices in Hong Kong. It is a very energetic city with large and capable workforce. In a survey conducted by an organization in Switzerland, Hong Kong ranked first in the world in international competitiveness. Please come to Hong Kong on business, for pleasure, or otherwise.
Iwao Yamamoto (Graduated in 1990, School of Science and Engineering)

Message from the Chairperson

Hong Kong is a melting pot of races and is a very energetic city. Hong Kong has not lost its unique attributes even after it was returned to China. The Hong Kong Tomonkai consists of energetic people with various personal traits, just like this city, including the honorary chairperson who is the oldest member at age 93 and the recent graduates of Waseda. We need to specially mention our energetic younger members and female members. Unlike the young people today in general, they are independent and positive, and seeing them play active roles in the society is very encouraging. On the other hand, we, the older generation who are a little less ambitious, are trying to find a place where we can play active roles and are therefore actively participating in the Keio-Waseda golf competitions. The results of our golf competitions make us happy or disappointed, just as they did when we were still young.

Gatherings to promote international exchanges are also an activity which characterizes the Hong Kong Tomonkai. We are promoting exchanges with the university students in Hong Kong who will be going to Waseda to study, and are also supporting such students. We are hoping that one day they will come back to become the main members of the Hong Kong Tomonkai. We are continuing our activities here in Hong Kong feeling the pleasure to meet people who have gone through very different times, and to sing the same school song with such people.
Ryoji Ando (Graduated in 1982, School of Political Science and Economics)

Messages from the Members

Hong Kong is my third overseas assignment and almost three years have passed since I came here. I have always attended the gatherings of Tomonkai wherever I was sent; however, the Hong Kong Tomonkai makes us members sing “Miyako no Seihoku” significantly more than other Tomonkais. I am enjoying the excitement of various events including Keio-Waseda golf competitions, the passion of the members who utilize the connection made through the Tomonkai for their business, and the matchmaking party on the excuse of promoting international exchange, which are unique to the chaotic and energetic Hong Kong. The Tomonkai here is truly fun and beneficial.
Kotaro Suzuki (Graduated in 1984, School of Political Science and Economics)

I have been living in Hong Kong since 2010. I had nothing to do with Tomonkai while I was in Japan; however, I came to know overseas Tomonkais after I came to Hong Kong. A Keio-Waseda golf competition was the start of the relationship between me and the Hong Kong Tomonkai. I am enjoying the precious experiences which would not have been possible if I were in Japan, including meeting with seniors and juniors working in various industries here. I am hoping to forever play a part in fostering the hot Waseda spirit in this hot Hong Kong. I am looking forward to meeting with many people from Waseda.
Satokazu Tanaka (Graduated in 2002, School of Commerce)

“The Pacific Place in Admiralty, currently housing many financial institutions, used to be the immigration bureau,” it was very impressive when I first heard it from a senior who lived in Hong Kong for more than 30 years.“Refugees evacuating from the mainland China were waiting for immigration inspection before the immigration bureau”, he said. It was astonishing to listen to a Japanese senior of what had happened in Hong Kong before I was even born; I felt that the time and space were crossing over at that moment. If it were not for the Tomonkai, I would not have been able to be given the opportunity to be taught the history of Hong Kong from such an angle.
Andrew Ke (Graduated in 2011, Graduate School of Politics)

In April 1957, I saw a white Datsun placed near the statue of Shigenobu Okuma. A standing signboard said “Recently, India has donated an elephant to Japan. In response to the warm friendship of Indian people and to thank them for the gift, we, the students of Waseda, are giving this car to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru currently visiting Japan.” I was a new student then, and was impressed and thought that I entered a very good school. 50 years had passed, and I attended the Homecoming Day meeting the year before the last. I felt the same again, and thought that I graduated from a very good school. I graduated several years after my classmates who entered Waseda in the same year as I did, as I repeated several years in school. However, Waseda sent an invitation to me so that I could share my joy with my former classmates in the ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of graduation.

I truly feel that Waseda is a good school whenever we sing the school song with other Waseda alumni here in Hong Kong.
Takeo Iwami (Graduated in 1964, School of Commerce)

Both my father and I graduated from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. My parents met at one of Waseda’s research facilities and got married. I got married and came to Hong Kong, and 14 years have passed since then. Living overseas for a long time was not always enjoyable; however, the people at the Hong Kong Tomonkai have supported me and are my role models. In Hong Kong where there is a long history of immigration by Japanese nationals, there are many Waseda alumni who have lived here for as long as 30 to 40 years and are assimilated into the Hong Kong society. They are actively playing their roles here, and I am always encouraged to see them. My father, who will be 70 years old soon, is making small magazines with his classmates and says classmates are a treasure for life. I am feeling that that is true here in Hong Kong.
Noriko Okemoto (Graduated in 1994, School of Humanities and Social Sciences)

Covered in Waseda Gakuho, August 2012 Issue

Return to Alumni Network World Map