On-campus cafés to relax and take a well-deserved break
Waseda University is home to many on-campus cafés where one can go to relax or study. Among others, Waseda Weekly introduces two cafés on Waseda Campus, the Orange Cat and Café Clio. Orange Cat, located in the basement floor of the Waseda International House of Literature (the Haruki Murakami Library) has a concept of “turning the unusual into the usual,” attracting visitors to spend a special time within the quiet, sophisticated world of the facility. Orange Cat is mainly managed by students, a wish of Murakami, who managed his own jazz café when he was a student at Waseda. When asked about people who visit the café, one staff member noticed that visitors usually come with friends, and the space seems perfectly suited to take a new friend you want to get to know or talk with more. Take a look at the Japanese article below for pictures of Orange Cat and a peek at the student recommended combo of Cod Roe Spaghetti and Mojito Coffee.
Café Clio also resides within a popular facility on campus, the History Musuem, which was opened in 2018 under a goal of the Waseda Vision 150 plan to “turn the campus into a museum.” Café Clio is also run by student staff as part-time workers, who are also members of the University’s officially recognized Waseda Coffee Society. Student staff and society members work together to plan different events for the café, recently including a special two-day Café Clio/Waseda Coffee Society event during Waseda Festival 2022, where over 1,000 visitors were served special menu items such as cold brew coffee and sodas infused with cascara (dried husks of coffee cherries). While Café Clio can be quite busy from opening hour to lunch period, student staff recommend coming from 3rd period and onwards for a peaceful visit perfect for reading or studying. Pictures including the recommended Waseda Coffee Society Blend and Homemade Quiche have been included in the Japanese article below.
Japanese article:ミュージアムカフェで優雅なひとときを【学内カフェ網羅版】
A student’s passion for sports; both as a player and as a content creator
Nicholas Takeshi, a 3rd year undergraduate student of the School of Social Sciences, first became aware of the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he saw games on television in the U.S., back when he lived there as a junior high school student. On a trip back to Japan, he tried to talk about the NBA with his friends but found out that Stephen Curry was the only player his friends knew. With this, Takeshi wanted to create a chance for the NBA to become more well known in Japan, and in 2018, he started posting NBA videos to YouTube. After that, he partnered with NBA playmakers, a program where content creators post-game highlight videos to YouTube. Takeshi was the first Japanese creator for the NBA playmakers program, and his first post, a top center ranking highlight video, currently has over a million views.
Takeshi’s love for sports doesn’t stop at basketball though. He belonged to his schools’ American football club during his six years in the U.S., and now is currently a member of the Big Bears Waseda Football Team. Waseda University having one of the strongest American football teams in Japan was actually one of the reasons that led Takeshi to return to Japan for his university education. When asked about his most memorable matches with the Big Bears, Takeshi mentions two: his Kantoh Collegiate Football Association (KCFA) 2021 Spring match and his KCFA 2022 Fall League match against Meiji University. He recalls the former match being one where, although he struggled, was a chance to gain confidence as a university player, and the latter match one where he was more able to analyze his surroundings, make skillful plays, and could feel his improvement as a player. Looking forward, Takeshi hopes to continue making strides in both his roles as an NBA YouTuber and Big Bears player.
Japanese article:「日本でもNBAをカジュアルに」米式蹴球部所属早大生YouTuber
