International Cafeteria 1

Writer: Natsumi K.
Editor: Theo F.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” -Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

As someone who is a food enthusiast, I couldn’t agree more with this quote. Eating has been my comfort and happy time, and I think some of you can relate to it too. Trying new foods that’ll become your favorites while comparing which shops can make tastier foods is pretty interesting to do. Especially now that we moved to Ikebukuro Campus, which gives us more options, like places and foods to eat. And so far, if you are a student at TIU, wouldn’t the cafeteria’s foods sound intriguing to you? If yes, this article is for you. If not, may this article help you pique some interest in our Ikebukuro Campus’s cafeterias. Especially our one and only, International Cafeteria 1.

There are three cafeterias on our Ikebukuro campus altogether. The first one is the Good Health Cafeteria, which is next to our school’s convenience shop and has undoubtedly already been visited by a lot of students. The next one is International Cafeteria 2, which is on the second floor and has a Starbucks stall in it. Lastly, the International Cafeteria 1, which is located on the first floor and can also be accessed outside the school, where the entrance lies on the opposite side of our school’s convenience store.

Each cafeteria is different. May it be the food, the atmosphere, or its business hours. As for International Cafeteria 1, it is open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. It is quite long compared to the rest of the cafeterias that we have at Ikebukuro and to the previous cafeteria that we had in Kawagoe too. During the 9 hours it is working, the lunch can only be served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Additionally, there is also dinner time starting at 5 p.m. until closing time.

The International Cafeteria 1 is arguably the one with the best foods sold. Cafeteria 1 has a variety of food on their menu.

Along with their normal menu, they also offered a weekly lunch menu which, just like as the name stated, is different each week. However, the food is only available from 11a.m. to 2:30 p.m. So if you’re interested in trying some, better go to the cafeteria within that time schedule.

Additionally for our students who are Halal. The cafeteria also serves Halal menu so feel free to dine there without worries.

Lunch Menu is usually served as a set. So every lunch usually includes a soup and an additional 150 yen for a drink.

And of course, a meal should always go with a drink. So in our International Cafeteria 1, they also have a variety of drinks.

Compared to the other cafeterias at the school, International Cafeteria 1 is likely smaller in size. There are fewer seats and less room. However, there are a few chairs outdoors where you can relax while watching the surroundings and enjoying the fresh air. However, it might not be the ideal choice to eat there in the summer when the sun could burn you and in the winter when it seems chilling like inside the refrigerator. The International Cafeteria may get a little busy at times, especially because it is accessible to everyone, not just students at the school. Thus, it might not be the best idea to have your bento lunch while a lot of people are using the space. Additionally, International Cafeteria 1 doesn’t have a microwave, so if you’d prefer a warm lunch, you should eat at the Student Lounge instead, which is located on the campus’ 8th floor.

To wrap things up, our cafeteria can lack something that other places have, and probably even better. There might also be a lot of things we can possibly do that I haven’t included yet. However, as the school has just started and is still unfamiliar to us, we can just explore it now and have fun in the process. Sometimes it’s enjoyable to eat at various locations, but if that’s not your thing, why not try exploring it? Don’t you want to try having fun with us? That said, where do you often have lunch while at school? Don’t you want to try the menu that we have at our cafeteria? If so, please share your opinion with us, and I hope it’ll become a good experience for you.