I think the reason why cat cafés are popular in Japan is because many people in Tokyo live in apartments and they cannot keep pets of their own. The cat café has created a place for people to enjoy animals while living in a big city. It also fits in with the "kawaii" cute culture in Japan.
The cat café I visited is part of a franchise called Café Mocha which has cat cafés in various locations. The cat café I visited is located in Shibuya, Tokyo and it is about a 5 minute walk from Shibuya station and you can walk across Shibuya crossing on your way to the café. The opening hours are from 10 am until 10 pm and the last entry is at 9:30 pm. I went there at night with a friend after we spent the day exploring Tokyo. The entrance fee is 200 Yen for 10 minutes. You can also purchase a refillable vending machine drink for an additional 350 Yen. The vending machine has many drink options like hot chocolate, tea, different sodas and all kinds of coffee. If you want to get the cat's attention you can do this by buying some cat treats for around 550 Yen.
The café is clean, nicely decorated and the cats appear to be healthy and well looked after. There are many cat toys that you can use to entertain the cats. They café gives the cats time to rest by letting the cats be around the customers in shifts.
Before we entered the café an employee explained the rules for handling the cats. Customers are not allowed to pick up the cats but they can touch them and stroke them. Customers should not pull the cat's tails and they should not tease the cats. I'm glad this cat café has good rules for handling the cats. Next we had to clean our hands with hand sanitizer and store our belongings in a locker. Then we had to remove our shoes and put on the indoor slippers provided by the café.
Inside the café the cats roam freely and there are cat toys available for you to use to play with the cats. There are vending machines with lots of different drink options and different kinds of coffee, hot chocolate and sodas. There are also tablets with information about the cats and the café and there is wifi available.
The café has a cosy atmosphere. It is on two floors and there are sofas to sit on and places for the cats to sit and relax. There is also quite a nice view of Tokyo from the windows.
This is a picture of the cats during feeding time at the café.
The cat café is very cute and it is a fun place to visit. Even if you are not a cat person this café is still an interesting place to visit in Tokyo. If you are a cat lover then you should definitely check out this café!
Café information: Café Mocha in Shibuya Tokyo
You can find more information about this café on their website: http://catmocha.jp/
It is about a five minute walk from Shibuya Station in Tokyo.
The opening hours are from 10 am until 10 pm. The last entry is at 9 pm. Café Mocha has a few cat cafés in different locations in Tokyo. Some locations have different opening hours so please check on their the website.
Sounds great! Are the cats easy to hold and cuddle when you are at the cafe?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! :) One of the rules at this café is that you are not allowed to pick up the cats but you are allowed to stroke them and touch them. I think they have this rule because there are so many people who visit each day that it is too stressful for the cats to be picked up by so many different people.
ReplyDelete