Calico Cat Cafe in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved. Cat Cafes and Other Tokyo Eccentricities.

Cat Cafes and Other Tokyo Eccentricities

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It’s no secret that the Japanese love the kawaii or cute character Hello Kitty, but also wildly successful has been a more tangible rendering of cats – cat cafes.

While pet ownership is up in Japan apparently – pet shops are everywhere and small breeds of dogs are hugely popular here – many apartment blocks in Tokyo forbid pets, so these cafes, started in Osaka in 2004, are on the rise in Tokyo.

The business model is simple really: provide a long menu of cats from an array of different breeds to cater for all tastes, a short menu of drinks and snacks, and charge people by the hour to sit back and pat a kitty while they sip a coffee.

Calico Cat Cafe in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved. Cat Cafes and Other Tokyo Eccentricities.

We’re cat (and dog) lovers, and one thing we’ve been missing from our holiday rentals so far this year is having something cute and fluffy to cuddle on the rare occasion that we unwind in front of a television, so we couldn’t resist paying a visit to this ‘cat petting zoo’ as they’re sometimes called here.

We opted for one of the original Tokyo cat cafes, which we were told had the most interesting range of cats – Calico Cat Cafe in Shinjuku. Here they charge Y600 per person for an hour or Y900 for 90 minutes. We planned on spending just an hour, but if you’re a cat lover you’ll understand how easy it would be to let one slip into two… the cats are just so adorable.

Calico Cat Cafe in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved. Cat Cafes and Other Tokyo Eccentricities.

When we visited around 8pm one evening (the place was packed with locals), all of our favourites, the Persian cats, spent most of the time sleeping, and there’s a rule (among many) that you have to let a sleeping cat lie, so we had to settle for dangling toys in front of the others instead.

Curiously, the most popular breed that the locals like, is the ‘Scottish Fold’, the ones above with their ears bent forward – probably because they most resemble the kind of cute characters that the Japanese love so much – even when they’re real!

Calico Cat Cafe in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved. Cat Cafes and Other Tokyo Eccentricities.

See Bento.com for a list of Tokyo cat cafes compiled by Melinda Joe.

Looking for eccentric activities in Tokyo besides the cat cafes?

  • Virtual Golf Bars – enjoy a few swings in front of golf simulator while you swig a beer at one of the many Golf Bars popping up all over Tokyo. There are a dozen alone in our neighbourhood of Akasaka.
  • Pachinko Parlours – as bewildering as it seems to us to want to gamble away your savings on a pointless game of vertical pinball, Pachinko Parlours are incredibly popular in Tokyo and worth a visit at least once if you fancy yourself as a bit of an amateur anthropologist. You’ll find them in every area of Tokyo.
  • Maid Cafés – geeky guys can have a game of cards, a back rub and even get their ears cleaned (gross, we know!) as they chat to a waitress in a French maid’s costume about the latest manga release. There’s a list of maid cafés here on CNNGo.

Calico Cat Cafe in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved. Cat Cafes and Other Tokyo Eccentricities.

Got any tips on quirky things to do in Tokyo? Let us know in the comments below.

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AUTHOR BIO

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Terence Carter is an editorial food and travel photographer and infrequent travel writer with a love of photographing people, places and plates of food. After living in the Middle East for a dozen years, he settled in South-East Asia a dozen years ago with his wife, travel and food writer and sometime magazine editor Lara Dunston.

4 thoughts on “Cat Cafes and Other Tokyo Eccentricities”

  1. I love it, great blog post! I stayed at a bed and breakfast in Terre Hill< Pennsylvania where the owners are lover's of cats and the one owner is an Artist who has published a book "My Name Is On The Deed … But The Cats Own The House". Check out the The Artist’s Inn

  2. Love this! I am a cat and dog lover! I am going to Japan next Spring and this is a must! Coffee and kitties! Any other recommendations?

  3. Hi Nathalie – we’re dog and cat lovers too – so much so that we adopted a street kitten here in Siem Reap where we now live. Check out our Tokyo stories for our other recommendations – so much there, from food to shopping – and if you have specific questions just leave them in the comments and we’ll respond and expand if you like. We’re hoping to get back this year too – love Japan!

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