Tuesday 31 January 2012

Nekorobi Cat Café

This is the next in my series of Japan write-ups!

Now reader, have you heard of such things as cat cafés?

This idea came to Japan from Taiwan some years ago. At these establishments you can play with cats while enjoying some refreshments. 

Being what is commonly known as a cat lady, I had to visit one! After some research I settled on Nekorobi in Ikebukuro.

Here's my outfit:


So, off to Nekorobi!

When we entered, there was a small gate and then a glass door. This is to prevent cats from running out and getting lost! On entering we were greeted by the sight of a huge cat asleep on the counter! His playmates were also around the peaceful-looking room, sleeping, lounging, and chasing each other. Before we could join them, we had to exchange our shoes for slippers, put our things away in lockers and wash our hands thoroughly. 

Haruki-chan (centre) was stretched out on the till counter when we arrived

As well as playing with and observing the cats, you can play with the wii or iPad. I used the iPad to email a lot of people saying "I'm at the cat café!!!!"

The cats are beautifully looked after, with bright shining eyes and soft fur. They are all exceptionally lovely to look at. Well, lovely might not quite be the word for Kiyomori-chan, but he has his own very special charm!





Definitely one of my favourites. I'm also a fan of Haruki-chan, the prince of the place! He's very big and very handsome, and he played with me for some time, chasing the fishing rod. At one point he grabbed it and ran off, dragging me behind him! He's so strong, I had to let go!


I had liked Burt-kun (named after the Mary Poppins character) from his pictures on Nekorobi's website , but he unexpectedly turned out to to have a yanki attitude! He strode around with a tough-guy walk, starting fights and sniffing at things loudly and disdainfully. When I tried to pet him, he totally snubbed me!

 Burt-kun sulking under the table. Shortly after this picture was taken he attacked the cat above him.

Just the same he couldn't disguise the fact that he was cute! My friend took a liking to Kuririn-chan, the huge, milk-tea coloured, emerald-eyed Persian. He looks like a lion! 

In spite of having so much fur, he didn't have a single knot! He must take to grooming a lot more kindly than my Persian, Nikita.

Since our stay was enough to almost fill the points card, we got the feeding bonus. We were given a little dried fish and kibbles to feed the cats with. I gave all mine to Kuririn, since he looks like the sort of chap who appreciates food. Haruki-chan was rushing around to hoover up the leftovers!


This little fluffy thing is Aisha. I have to admit, I totally fell for her! She's very small, with very soft fur, and the most delicate little face. Most of the cats (a notable expection is Haruki) don't interact with the human guests so much. This is understandable, being the nature of cats. However, I think Aisha-chan and I made friends! We had a good game, me tickling her and she grabbing my fingers. I'm afraid I was too busy playing with her to take any good pictures, but if you check this section of Nekorobi's website you can see the all the cats' biographies and plenty of pictures (English page here).

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the café, and I hope it wasn't cat overload. The next installment will be much more Classic Lolita-related (shopping!!!!)

I'll leave you with a few more pictures.





Bye bye!

16 comments:

  1. oh my god, i love cats awwwww you look very very pretty :3

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  2. Awww, this is so adorable. I hope I get to visit the cafe if I go to Japan this year.

    You look beautiful as always <3

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    1. Oh, are you thinking of going this year? I hope you'll have a wonderful time! I really recommend this cafe if you have time, it's so peaceful and comfortable and the staff are really nice as well as the cats. It's easy to find too!

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  3. Oh soo cute! I love cats and a cat cafe just blows my mind! You look so cute playing with them <3

    I can't wait for your next post. I'm planning a trip to Japan hopefully this year and I would love to see some classic shops. :)

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    1. It's such a great idea, isn't it? I wish we had cat cafes in England!

      My next post is about shopping, I hope you'll enjoy it :)

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  4. I never went to a cat cafè so it's really interesting to see the inside and get to know the appropriate behaviour and such :D

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    1. The inside of this one was very nice I thought, that's part of the reason I chose it. I'm glad you found it interestng!

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  5. These cats are so adorable!!

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  6. I've never had that much of an interest in visiting Japan. But I do feel quit tempted after reading this post about the cat café. It seems like so much fun to visit one. Me, being a huge cat fan XD

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    1. Ah I'm happy to read that you're a cat fan! I saw some other cats on my travels, so please look out for them!

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  7. Ooh so amazing! Next time I go to Japan I'll have to go to a cat cafe, it just looks so cozy and cute and and and -!

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    1. Yes, you should definitely go! I regret not going to one before. Oh, if we are in Japan at the same time it would be great to meet up :D

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  8. Wow, I never heard of a place like that! Though I wouldn't mind going to it :3 Those cats are so pretty!

    ~ Kieli ~

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    1. Apparently it's popular in Japan because many people live in apartments and often you are not allowed to keep pets. I think it could catch on anywhere though! Yes, they are very pretty, aren't they? They have the most beautiful, shining, deep-coloured eyes I've ever seen, especially Kuririn.

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