3. Upcoming Procedures

Refunds

  • We will issue refunds, such as the Project Guarantee Fee, by bank transfer. The transfer is scheduled to be made around late July.
    • The transfer will be made to the account registered in the form “Registration of Bank Account”.
    • After the transfer is completed, we will contact you via Inquiry. Please be sure to check that the money has been transferred correctly.
    • Receipts will be sent via Inquiry after the transfer has been completed.
  • Projects that requested an in-person refund in advance can receive the refund after arranging an individual appointment via Inquiry. Refunds will be provided at the Committee Office (Room 6, 3rd floor of the Second Refectory on the Hongo Campus).
  • We will also settle any changes in rental or purchase costs that occurred after the initial payment you made between late April and May.

Abolition of the Financial Aid System in the 98th May Festival

The Financial Aid System

The Financial Aid System was a system where the Committee offered partial assistance with project expenses to those meeting certain criteria, such as not engaging in commercial transactions. Its purpose was to help such projects participate in the festival and run smoothly. This system was in place until the 96th May Festival, reduced in the 97th, and officially abolished in the 98th May Festival.

Reason for Abolition

The main reason for abolishing the system is that the Committee could not secure enough funds for financial aid due to budgetary reasons. However, since this system greatly affects whether projects can participate in future festivals, we will explain the reasons in more detail.
Ideally, the decision on whether to keep the Financial Aid System should be made around early March, since that is when the Committee’s budget is approved at the General Assembly. On the other hand, the participation procedures for projects take place from early to mid-February. This means that if we wait until early March to decide, projects will face the application deadline without knowing whether the Financial Aid System will be available.
Therefore, this year, we chose to determine in advance by forecasting the Committee’s budget, and as a result, we concluded to abolish it. The reason was that maintaining the Financial Aid System would require a certain amount of funding, and various costs necessary for carrying out the May Festival — including rising prices and printing expenses — were already expected to rise significantly. We judged that abolishing the Financial Aid System was necessary to achieve a proper balance in the Committee’s budget and to ensure the stable operation of the May Festival. However, in reality, the surplus turned out to be larger than expected. This was mainly due to an increase in sponsorship income and a rise in the number of projects, which led to an increase in Participation Fees.

Future Plans for the Financial Aid System

We will review how effective the previous Financial Aid System has been and consider a new system that better supports participating projects, while also helping ensure the smooth operation of the May Festival. In addition, for the 99th May Festival, we will take the current situation seriously, carefully reconsider whether to reinstate the Financial Aid System, and see to it that we properly hand over to the next Committee.

Report on the Trial Installation of Large Generators

Background of the Trial Installation

  • In previous May Festivals, small gasoline generators rented through the Committee were used for projects requiring electricity outdoors. However, problems with starting the small generators and the burden of fuel procurement placed significant strain on individual projects and there were significant safety concerns regarding the use of gasoline as a fuel, becoming a pressing issue.
  • Therefore, in pursuit of a safer and more stable power supply system this year, we partially implemented the use of a large generator, aiming to supply power to approximately 10 projects from a single large generator.

Large Generator Contribution Fee

  • The "Large Generator Contribution Fee" is a system in which projects using the large generator partially share the associated costs.
  • The following is included in the costs associated with using the large generator:
    • All costs are based on this year’s installation.
    • Wiring costs may vary depending on the distance from the large generator to the project place.
    • Wiring covers are used to prevent exposed cables from obstructing the traffic flow.
  • Generator Unit Cost
    • ¥150,000 + tax per unit
  • Wiring Costs
    • ¥25,000 + tax per line
  • Wiring Cover Costs
    • No cost due to vendor-provided service
  • Safety Enclosure and Fire Extinguisher
    • No cost due to vendor-provided service
  • As this was the first year of the installation, and because a smaller number of participating projects would have resulted in a higher cost per project, only the wiring costs were charged to each project under the “Large Generator Contribution Fee”. The cost of the generator unit was covered by the Committee.
  • As reference, the rental fees for small generators this year were ¥23,650 for a 1,500W unit and ¥34,650 for a 2,800W unit.
    • In addition to these fees, each project must also cover the cost of gasoline they procure.

Operation of Large Generators This Year

  • The operation of large generators this year is as follows:
  • 1,500W per line
  • ¥25,000 per line
  • After coordination with the University and the fire department, we placed one large generator south of Education Building. We designated Central Street E, F, and Akamon Street C as "Priority Blocks for Large Generator Use" and assigned projects using a large generator preferentially to these areas. On the day of the May Festival, eight projects used a total of nine lines.
    • Of the eight projects, seven used one line, and one used two lines.

On the Days of the Festival

  • The large generator was installed and wired the day before the May Festival.
  • On the mornings and evenings of each day, a Committee member started and stopped the generator with the assistance of the vendor.
    • The generator was made available for use from 8:40 AM to 6:10 PM each day.
  • The generator operated without any issues  on the day of the May Festival, providing a stable power supply.
  • Compared to small generators, the advantages of using a large generator on the day of the festival are the following:
  • No problems with starting, as start/stop operations are handled by the Committee
  • No need for individual fuel procurement by each project
  • No refueling required during the festival period
  • Higher operational stability than small generators
  • No need for projects to handle the generator, minimizing risk of damage or misuse for which projects would be held responsible
  • No special measures needed in case of rain
  • Higher safety due to diesel fuel’s higher flash point compared to gasoline
  • On the other hand, compared to small generators, large generators present certain concerns, including the need to finalize electricity usage earlier than in previous years due to constraints when assigning project places, as well as the higher cost.

Power Supply for the Following Years

  • We are currently collecting feedback on the trial installation of large generators from the projects that used them, as well as from the University and fire department staff involved in coordination.
  • Next year’s power supply system has not yet been determined. Once decided, we will explain it at the Information Session of the 99th May Festival.