I didn't know about neko cafés (cat cafés) in Tokyo until, on the way home tonight, I read about the new curfew that will put a serious crimp in the very popular cat-patting-and-coffee-business. Apparently there are about 100 neko cafés in Japan, with about 70 in Tokyo, as well as a few in Taiwan and South Korea.
A revision to Japan’s animal-protection law will soon enforce the 8 p.m. curfew on the “public display of cats and dogs,” according to Reuters, beginning June 1. The law is coming to a head with cat cafés, where customers pay to play with the animals. Popular in Tokyo, the cafés cater to animal lovers who, because of housing regulations, aren’t allowed to have pets in their homes, where space is often at a premium. Intrigued, I went Googling, and came across many advertisements for the cafés like this one, where 12 cats are waiting for your coming, with pricing and rules for handling the feline staff. I especially like this caveat: When the cats hurt you, we give a first aid. However we cannot refund or bear your medical expenses. The 12 super-cute, very wide-eyed and somewhat stoic looking cats that are guaranteed to relax stressed out customers are then profiled here.
It all makes me feel positively decadent to have my tiny tribe all to myself.
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