Cat Café: The De-Stress Zone

How to be a Native - Step Six

Have tea…with cats.

Yeah, that's the spot.

Being a cat lover, I find the unique experience of cat cafés to be worth sharing with others.  My recommended cat café is Nyantomo (にゃんとも) literally “Meow friend” located in Hachioji (八王子市). 

This one is pretty small, but they have some adorable cats and a discount for students (750 yen vs. regular 900 yen) per hour.      

Stalking around.

So why does Japan have cat cafés and what are they?   They are places for people (mainly women in their 20s and 30s) to enjoy the company of cats because most landlords in Japan don’t allow pets. 

One of the kittens.

Most people who visit cat cafés do it to de-stress.  They find the companionship of cats to be relaxing, especially for overworked individuals (a common thing in Japan).

Just resting.

I certainly felt much calmer and happier after playing with the cats for a few hours.  A very welcome relief when school was consuming the rest of my time.

Yes, I'm very comfortable like this.

Some of the cats are special/rare breeds while others are common.  When I visited Nyantomo, they had 10 cats plus 2 kittens, which were in a viewing room (for their safety). 

It's mine!!

Below is their flyer.  The cat’s names from top to bottom and left to right are: Shion (aster), Sora (sky), Momo (peach), Sakura (cherry blossom), Haru (spring), Hime (princess), Umi (sea), Hinata (sun), Ichigo (strawberry), and Kotora (?).    

Nyantomo Flyer

Here’s a video from Time Magazine’s website.  Below are directions with English translation (added by me).

Not a cat lover?  There are also bunny, bird and dog cafés.