Collection of short message cards posted online

Q:

Would it be possible for you to collect the batteries from laptops that are no longer needed?

A:

Thank you for your inquiry.
We accept used laptop batteries for recycling; please bring them to our store.
We accept nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium-ion batteries.
Please hand them to a staff member at the PC counter.
(We do not offer home pickup.)

Added on
May 27, 2025: As of February 2023, we were accepting the collection of some notebook PC batteries as a JBRC partner store. However, due to various circumstances, we have now discontinued the collection of batteries individually. We
apologize for the inconvenience, but please dispose of them according to the disposal methods specified by your university or local government.

Q:

I would like to request that the partitions in the cafeteria be removed. Given
the current COVID-19 situation, excessive infection control measures are unnecessary, and partitions between seats are rare even in outside restaurants.
Furthermore, since it's possible to eat next to or adjacent to other people, the risk of infection is high. If thorough infection control measures are to be implemented, I believe partitions should be installed at all seats.
Also, the partitions restrict space and make eating quite difficult.
For these reasons, I would like to request that these meaningless partitions be removed. Thank you for your consideration.

A:

As of now, we ask that you eat in silence and wear a mask when talking. We appreciate your continued understanding and cooperation in taking measures to prevent infection

A:

I hope my message finds you well.

I have a suggestion that I would like to share with you regarding the University Dining rooms/Cafeterias.

I would like to inquire if it's possible to establish a support/donation model at the University of Tokyo dining rooms similar to that provided by “Table for Two”.
https://jp.tablefor2.org/about/

The idea is that the CO-OP can design a healthy menu from the food list provided, the menu give the option to students/professors with each meal they buy to automatically donate 10- 20 yen. This amount contributes to sharing meals or school launches for children in least developed countries facing food crisis.

The University CO-OP can establish a separate model as part of it's services or they can make collaboration with “Table for Two” or other similar organizations. This system can contribute as well to the University commitment of achieving sustainable development goals.

I suggest that if such a system was established to provide the support to this list of countries facing food crisis. This list is based on hunger map reports and UN least developed countries.
https://static.hungermapdata.org/insight-reports/latest/global-summary.pdf
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/least-developed-countries
https://unctad.org/topic/least-developed-countries/list

The countries are in order of hunger map report
– Somalia
– Afghanistan
– Niger
– Mali
– Guniea
– Haiti
– Burkina Faso
– South Sudan
– Syrian Arab Republic
– Sierra Leone
– Yemen
– Mauritania

If this not the proper communication channel for this suggestion, I hope you can guide me to which e-mail address I should send my request.
I hope I can receive your kind feedback.

Q:

This is the University of Tokyo Co-op. Sorry for the delay in replying.
Thank you very much for your suggestion.
Actually, I don't know if you are aware of this, but we are holding a “TABLE FOR TWO” event at the cafeteria of the University of Tokyo.
Table for Two-UT
https://ut-base.info/circles/57
We have been collaborating with the above circle since November 2011, and have been implementing event planning at Komaba cafeteria and Hongo's second cafeteria.
Table for Two-UT | UT-BASE
Table for Two-UT, the Todai branch of the non-profit organization Table for Two, is a circle made up of students from the University of Tokyo. It was founded in 2011 with the aim of simultaneously solving the problems of hunger in developing countries and obesity in developed countries.
ut-base.info

Recently conducted from May 9 to 13, 2022 with the attached menu. We have done so.
It has been conducted at Komaba cafeteria and Hongo 2nd cafeteria.

Thank you for contacting us.

Q:

I wrote that the batter on the fried food was too thick, but I only received a vague answer asking which menu items had thick batter, and I didn't get a specific answer, so I've listed the relevant menu items below.
Fried food menu items with thick batter: Katsu-ni (pork cutlet simmered in broth), horse mackerel with shiso leaf fry, miso katsu (pork cutlet with miso sauce), oyster fry (live kitchen), seafood mix fry (live kitchen)
, etc. I think the thickness of the batter on fried chicken dishes such as chicken tatsuta don (rice bowl with chicken), fried chicken, and karaage (Japanese fried chicken), as well as the katsu in salt sauce katsu don (rice bowl with salted pork cutlet) and fillet katsu curry, is acceptable, but I feel that the batter on the other main fried dishes is significantly thicker in comparison. I submitted this comment card because the batter was thick on every menu item I tried. I'm not necessarily asking for improvement, but I don't think I'll be eating there again in the future.

A:

Thank you for providing details about the comment card you previously sent us regarding the "thick batter on fried food." We sincerely apologize for any unpleasant experience you may have had.
Many of the ingredients we currently use are also used in other university cafeterias, so we asked you to provide specific menu items so that we can make more specific requests for ingredient improvements.
Regarding the ingredients you have provided, we will bring up the two points you mentioned—the thick batter and your request for improvement—at the appropriate meeting. Immediate improvements may be difficult, but we would appreciate your patience.

Q:

We occasionally see people placing their belongings in the aisles between tables. This
isn't just students; it also includes people who appear to be from outside the university or faculty/staff.
Placing belongings in the narrow aisles can be dangerous when walking with a tray, so we would appreciate it if you could instruct people not to place their belongings in the aisles. Thank you
for your cooperation.

A:

Thank you for your valuable feedback.
We will share this information with our cashier staff and implement countermeasures. We
will also create notices and patrol the hall to provide guidance to customers.

We look forward to your continued patronage

Q:

Will there be any merchandise featuring Yutas-kun?
I would definitely buy a plush keychain if there was one.

A:

Yutas-kun merchandise
, the only product featuring Yutas-kun is the academic calendar published by the Komaba Tomo no Kai (Komaba Friends Association). (This was a limited-time release and is no longer available in stores. Please refer to the Komaba Tomo no Kai website.)
As Yutas-kun is a faculty character, we do not currently sell it through the co-op, but we will keep this in mind if we have an opportunity to produce merchandise featuring him in the future.

Q:

Please use knives that are sharp. At the very least, serrated. It makes it really hard to eat the chicken! I'm sure there are reasons for this, such as safety or to prevent damage to the plates, but rather than leaving a useless knife that can hardly be called a knife around, I'd like you to simply cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and serve it, and get rid of the knife altogether. Thank you

A:

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. We are planning to update our cutlery, including knives. It will take some time for the changes to be made

Q:

I would like a half-size serving of brown rice omelet rice. I would also like to have hot green tea with both meals

A:

・Regarding the brown rice omelet rice, due to the cooking process, offering various sizes would significantly increase the waiting time compared to the current cooking time, so we are currently only offering one size. We sincerely apologize that we cannot immediately accommodate requests for half sizes. However, outside of busy times, we can accommodate requests for less rice, so please let us know.
・Regarding your request for tea on the second floor, thank you for your request. The second floor does not have the same plumbing and tea dispensing equipment as the first floor, so currently our staff is refilling the drink dispenser with water as needed, and therefore we are only able to offer water. We are exploring what methods are possible with the equipment on the second floor, so we would appreciate your patience for a little while longer.

Q:

The salad bar, which is offered during certain hours, requires customers to weigh their items on a scale located at the register. However, I was puzzled to see a weight-like object placed on the scale, labeled as "set to the weight of a plate." Does this mean the object itself weighs the same as a single plate? If so, shouldn't the scale be zeroed out before the object is removed and then weighed?
Could you please explain the purpose of this object?

A:

We sincerely apologize for the lack of clarity in our explanation regarding your inquiry.
The scale for the salad bar at the register is set to weigh up to three plates simultaneously, subtracting the weight of three plates for operational reasons. Therefore, when you use one or two plates, we ask that you place a weight equivalent to the weight of the plates before weighing. We are very sorry for the insufficient explanation. We have added an explanation to the register scale as shown in the attached photo. Thank you for your continued support.

Q:

I had a katsudon made on the spot; it reminded me of Komaba.
Regarding the size indications for the donburi dishes, if the only thing that changes depending on the size is the amount of rice, please clearly state that in an easily visible place.
Also, please make the nutritional information available to people who are not using the student cafeteria money.

A:

Thank you for using Ginkgo Metro Cafeteria. We apologize for the long wait as we have reopened after approximately three years.
We apologize for the unclear labeling of our katsudon and oyakodon. The labeling remained unchanged from when we were closed. We will be installing POP displays in the menu case.
We also sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the large-scale system changes at the National University Co-op Group regarding nutritional information. The University of Tokyo Co-op has requested improvements. Please wait a little longer. Thank you for your continued support.