On December 9, 2025, we held a coffee workshop at International Commons on the Aoyama Campus.

José Yoshiaki Kawashima, President of MI CAFETO Co., Ltd., known as a “Coffee Hunter,” was invited as the guest speaker. He gave a lecture titled “Seeing the World Through Coffee.” In the first half, Kawashima sensei explained how climate change impacts coffee and the situations of the people involved in coffee farms through what he saw directly from coffee farms around the world. In the second half, he introduced projects he is undertaking to address environmental and human rights issues, which raised in the first half of the lecture. Many students listened intently throughout the workshop, and during the Q&A session, many questions delved deeper into the lecture content.
Additionally, during this event, the members of Coffellow Mellow Aoyama, an AGU club community, hand-brewed the coffee selected by Mr. Kawashima and the coffee was served the participants. The students enjoyed tasting and comparing four different types of coffee.
Approximately 47 people participated in the coffee workshop, including international students, AGU regular students, and faculty/staff. Feedback from participating students included comments such as, “I learned that coffee is significantly related to human rights issues,” and “This seminar sparked my interest in South America,” indicating the event served as a catalyst for broadening their global perspective.