2026/3/11

On Sunday, March 8, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies (KUFS) and the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Guatemala in Kyoto participated in the COFFEE HOLIC event held at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, held to commemorate the 80th anniversary of KUFS' founding.

COFFEE HOLIC, an event where people can drink and compare different types of coffee, is held every year using coffee beans from different production regions and bringing together approximately 15 cafes. Because this year's event featured beans from Guatemala, KUFS and the Guatemalan Consulate acted as sponsors, holding citizens' seminars and hosting an event booth. The venue was filled with the rich aroma of coffee, and with the enthusiasm of the many local citizens who attended the event.

Honorary Consul Takuya Morita of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Guatemala in Kyoto and Professor Hiroshi Minami of the Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences hosted a public seminar titled "Drinking Coffee in Ancient Mayan Culture." This seminar was held twice—in the morning and the afternoon—with both quickly filled to capacity. The high attendance numbers were an indicator of local citizens' high levels of interest in Guatemala, and the sight of everyone in the audience listening with great interest to these lectures about the natural blessings, rich history, and deep-reaching coffee culture of Guatemala was truly impressive.

The sponsors' booth offered pamphlets, displayed collections of photographs, and exhibited bright-and-colorful textiles and exquisite works of folk art, providing a multifaceted introduction to Guatemalan culture. Many Kyoto locals stopped to take a look and engage in lively cultural exchanges. Few people in Japan are familiar with Guatemalan culture, so booth visitors enjoyed holding the exhibited products in their hands and eagerly asked a number of questions.

The KUFS campus hosts the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Guatemala in Kyoto, and through it pursues diplomatic and other exchanges with various nations. COFFEE HOLIC provided an opportunity to widely showcase the many different advantages offered by KUFS as an institution, and served as a meaningful event for the school's 80th anniversary celebration.

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