No one said the most important meal of the day can’t also be the cheapest.
Many of Tokyo’s universities are located right in the middle of the metropolis, and the fact that they’re in such close proximity to the rest of the city keeps most of them from having any sort of “college town” atmosphere. One notable exception, though, are the adjacent neighborhoods of Waseda and Takadanobaba, site of the three downtown campuses of prestigious Waseda University.
The area’s streets are packed with ramen joints, fast food restaurants, bars, pubs, and myriad other ways for Waseda’s students to deliciously and conveniently destroy their bodies. But those aren’t exactly the healthiest choices, which is why the school is trying to encourage students to eat the cafeteria’s nutritionally balanced meals.
Cafeteria breakfasts are a bit of a hard sell, though. After all, it’s tough enough for some students to drag themselves out of bed and get to their first class of the day on time, let alone arrive on campus early enough to get something to eat before roll call. Add in Waseda University’s reputation for hard partying, and you can assume that on any given morning a not-insignificant portion of the student body is hung over and really craving that extra 30 minutes or so of sleep it can squeeze in by skipping breakfast.
That’s why, for a limited time, the cafeterias of all Waseda University’s campuses are offering breakfast for just 100 yen ($0.83). At that ridiculously low price, you might be imagining a pretty sparse spread, like some instant oatmeal, a wedge of grapefruit, and maybe a toothpick. Waseda didn’t earn it’s prominent place in Japanese academia by putting in half-efforts, though, and the 100-yen breakfasts are startlingly high-class.
Pictured above is one of the initial two options being offered: hamburger steak with a small omelet, sesame-seasoned spinach, shredded cabbage, miso soup, and rice. Not pictured is the vegetable juice that also comes with the set.
Not in the mood for meat? The alternative breakfast swaps the hamburger steak and omelet for miso-stewed mackerel.
Both of these were offered during the week of November 16 at Waseda’s main campus. This week, the choices are grilled teriyaki yellowtail and chicken cutlet.
The 100-yen breakfast promotion ends at the main campus November 27, but moves to the Toyama/engineering campus on November 30 for three weeks, and starts a five-day stint at the Nishi Waseda/arts and humanities campus from December 7.
Source: Waseda University
Top image: Waseda University
Insert images: Waseda University (1, 2, 3) (edited by RocketNews24)