Kyoto University Japan Allows Students To Wear Anything They Want For Graduation

Kyoto University in Japan switched up its boring, long ceremonies from solemn speeches and routine name-calls to a fun and interactive ritual. The university allowed students to arrive at the ceremony in anything they wished to wear. However, the university did not expect its students to take “anything” quite literally.

After the permit was greenlit, a ritual was set in a place where students would come to the ceremony in bizarre cosplays. The annual event is not only a highlight for the students but is also much-awaited by the relatives of the students who are also invited to the event.

The ritual was first set in stone by Tokyo University, after which Kyoto followed suit. Traditionally, Universities in Japan witness students don suits, dresses, or women's classic hakama kimonos. But the change in regime at Kyoto University allowed its students to express their identities while receiving their prized graduate degrees.

The ritual was first set in stone by Tokyo University, after which Kyoto followed suit. Traditionally, Universities in Japan witness students don suits, dresses, or women's classic hakama kimonos. But the change in regime at Kyoto University allowed its students to express their identities while receiving their prized graduate degrees.

David Hajime Kornhauser, director of global communications at Kyoto University, told Bored Panda, “The university has a long tradition of being anti-authoritarian. So I'm guessing the roots go back quite a long time, though the university officially doesn't condone it.”

He shared that the sentiment of the university is about liberty, “it's kind of a personal preference, do people want to be sort of traditional or are they just doing something to express themselves in some other way or not?”

According to David, not all students take part in the merriment, “It seems that for a long time, students at this university have chosen just to be whatever they want to be. But it's actually not a large number of people. I mean, it's mainly, I would say, it isn't even 10%. And they stand out because they try to sit up front. So it looks like there's a lot of people doing it, but actually, I think, it's probably only just the people right at the front, and then the vast majority of the graduates are more or less traditional.”