Kyoto University, Katsura Campus. Unlike Yoshida's Kyoto University, this campus is located in the mountains, where you have to get off at Hankyu Katsura Station and take a bus. There didn't seem to be any places nearby to eat, so I decided to have lunch at the cafeteria. This campus seems to have received a lot of money for industry-academia collaboration, as the buildings are quite stylish. When I visited, it was still spring break and there were no students around, but groups of moms from the neighborhood came to have lunch, and their children were running around freely. Since this school is operated with tax money, it seems that external use is also possible. I ordered the curry cooked over an open flame, but hmm. The white rice served from the wooden tub is not exactly piping hot. The lukewarm curry may be typical of a cafeteria. However, the location here is fantastic, with a great view overlooking Kyoto city.

In June 2007, the cafeteria offered a special dish called "President's Curry" for 540 yen. The curry was made with bamboo shoots, eringi mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, and minced chicken. The rice options included mixed grain rice, sprouted brown rice, or barley rice (on that day, it was barley rice). They also had a set menu called "Princess Kaguya Set" for 630 yen. Additionally, they offered a delicious Chocolate Parfait for 399 yen, which had caramel cake on top, mixed with fruits like mandarins and white peaches, and cornflakes. The cafeteria is affordable and serves tasty food, so I recommend trying it out.

I went on a day off. It's basically a university cafeteria. You order at the register, pay, then wait at your table. When they call out "Sokan Curry for the customer!" you go pick it up. The rice is like a five-grain mix, with bamboo shoots in it, probably because this area is right in the middle of a bamboo shoot production area. The surroundings are full of bamboo groves. The taste is just okay, not super delicious as I had hoped. Maybe they were trying something different, I guess. If it was a curry specialty shop, ¥540 would be cheap, but for students, it might be a bit expensive for curry. I've also been to the student cafeteria next door, and the rice there was terrible. I wondered if the leftover old rice in Japan was being sent to Kyoto University. Is this Japanese rice? Thai rice? I'm not sure if it's the same rice when mixed with the five-grain rice and curry. The campus is relatively new, clean, with high ceilings, spacious, and with glass windows, giving it a relaxed atmosphere. There are families and elderly couples dining here too.

I went to try the Kyoto University President's Curry at the Katsura Campus, where it is also available. Access is difficult without a car, as the campus is located on the mountainside and requires a long uphill climb from National Route 9. The campus is also quite far from the center of Kyoto city. On a winter holiday afternoon, the café, Café Arte, was bright with sunlight and not too crowded. The President's Curry has a reputation for being "spicy" and has been featured on TV multiple times. The curry is unique in that it is packed with vegetables such as bamboo shoots and eringi mushrooms, and is topped with bamboo shoots and minced chicken. The rice is brown rice, giving it a healthy appearance. The first bite was indeed spicy, making me sweat slightly. Since the main ingredients are vegetables, it did not feel heavy on the stomach. Perhaps if I were a student at Kyoto University, I could enjoy this curry every day.

Kyoto University Katsura Campus inside