Yoshito Oshima
Professor
Department of Environment Systems

Many of you may know that a grand piano is placed in the FS Hall on the first floor of the Environmental Studies Building. Shortly after the Environmental Studies Building was built, Professor Hiroyuki Yamato, then Dean of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies, expressed his concern about the “lack of a whiff of art in Kashiwa” and proposed at a meeting of department heads that a piano be installed in the Environmental Studies Building.

One of the department heads at the time, aware of my hobby of playing a piano, gave me what felt like an unreasonable request: “Find one within a 300,000-yen budget.” So, I consulted a piano tuner I knew, and they showed me a used grand piano.
It was a Diapason brand piano, and I vividly remember jumping on it as a bargain because it was an instrument that sounded good despite its age.

Even now, whenever I pass by the FS Hall and hear someone playing the piano, I recall those days and feel a sense of joy.
In 1995, I spent about a year as a visiting researcher at the University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, where the university is located, is renowned nationwide as a city of the arts. Numerous cultural attractions and events are held here, and on holidays, you will find paintings and sculptures displayed throughout the park. Though it is a small town, it is a truly wonderful place where art is deeply rooted in daily life.

Looking back, I recall that at the campus open house shortly after the Environmental Studies Building was completed, paintings, sculptures, and other student artworks were displayed beneath the first-floor eaves. This lent the campus an artistic atmosphere, although not as pronounced as that of the University of Michigan.
Recently, discussions on university reform have been progressing rapidly. I hope that we are not forgetting something crucial when we strive to create an attractive university.