cat cafe

on our way home from ueno park, Ro and i crossed an intersection and saw a poster for a cat cafe. we had just been talking about going to one, just for kicks, that afternoon. we weren't hungry yet, so figured we'd check it out before going home for dinner.

the cheapest "plan" was 300yen for 15 minutes (highway robbery!) and we weren't willing to shell out any more money than that, so it made our decision easy.  we put on some cat slippers, got the "briefing" and then wandered around looking for cats.

the place was pretty crowded when we got there and it seemed like the majority of the 17 cats were sleeping.  people were sort of milling around, not wanting to swarm around the awake cats, but visibly "checking out" which cat they could approach without stepping on any other customers' toes.

they had a menu, and a vending machine, but for such a short period of time, Ro and i were interested in neither.  it was all about getting cute pictures of cats!

we were greeted by a hatted cat, who jumped into the locker when Ro tried to put our bags in it.  he was quite the entertaining character and thrived on attention.  the perfect kind of cat for a cat cafe.

this cat was sprawled out on the counter in a deep, deep sleep.

this cat sat by the door, longingly looking out as people left.  we felt bad for her.  she was way cuter than this picture looks; she kept moving and didn't seem to be a fan of being photographed.

i would have loved to see this cat awake. he looks like a cheetah! and probably found the warmest place, and safest from unwanted attention, up on the vending machine.

it was a fun/novel thing to do with some extra time but i don't foresee myself going to a cat cafe again anytime soon.   it's just a little too expensive for my taste.  for a cat lover who can't keep a cat in their apartment, i can see the appeal.  it's a lucrative business idea though, and am sure lots of someones, at least in tokyo, are making a killing on these cafes.
 
for anyone interested, we went here: neko maru cafe