About 20 people gathered at a Kobe coffee shop one Saturday last month to discuss themes ranging from neutrinos and earthquakes to genetics. An unusual occurrence, but this was part of Kobe University's "science cafe" project.
The science cafe concept started in Britain in 1998. Coffee shops served as venues for scientists to hold court and lecture ordinary citizens over a cup of coffee, answering questions when needed.
During the Kobe gathering, whose theme was "Sports and Technology," Chikara Miyachi, a researcher at the National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health in Tokyo, lectured on his agency's research activities, using video footage of top Japanese athletes.