Cats hanging out at Hapi Neko.
Today, we started off with a relaxing visit to one of Tokyo’s cat cafes, Hapi Neko, in Shibuya. For 1300yen per person we got an hour in the company of a bunch of cats and a nice cup of tea.
Me and one of the patrons.
Some people may argue that this kind of showcasing cannot really be in the cats’ best interest, but the cats at Hapi Neko really seemed to enjoy the attention. There were also strict rules regarding feeding (human food was forbidden) and you were also not allowed to lift the cats, or otherwise stress them in any way. There were designated places for the cats to hide if they got tired of your company, and big signs stated that waking up a sleeping cat was strictly prohibited.
Hello Kitty!
Before we were let loose with those wild furry creatures, we had to take off your shoes, disinfect your hands and leave our bags in the door. Then we sat down in one of the pink couches and had our tea.
Come out and play.
The cats were very cute, but the most interesting thing was to watch how all the Japanese were wowed by the spoilt four-legged creatures, and how they paid attention to every move the cats made. Hapi Neko was really such a nice place. The place was very quiet and you quickly forgot all about Shibuya’s noisy streets just outside. Our one-hour cat date thus went much quicker than expected, and we were ready to hit the streets for Harajuku, which I will write about tomorrow.
Hapi Neko
Guestbook.
47 Comments
Interesting idea …. we have 5 at home so we probably don’t need to visit others
Then maybe you can open your own cat café?
I’ve heard about this place – I’d omagine it must be very relaxing if you’ve had a stressful day!
It definitely was. But it was also a rather strange experience..
Yes, I can imagine
oh my goodness what a great idea! Haha, I want a cat cafe in NY.
And the cats actually seemed to enjoy themselves:)
I love petting cats. I would think that the cafe workers make sure to pick out friendly felines rather than the antisocial scratching/biting type! hehe Otherwise … trouble …
The cats at Hapi Neko all seemed kind of lazy, so no risk of any cat fights there:) Though, I think the cats got their own blog (in Japanese): http://hapineko.com/x-lala.html
Sugoku kawaii!
So cute!
interesting never, this will definitely a cat lover’s heaven i wonder if they got one for dogs am a dog person by the way Vancouverfriendly is very happy to have you as our new follower. i’ll do my very best to keep the post comming
I love this concept!
How fun and wonderful. Great photo’s. Wish I could have been there!
It was a really strange and fascinating place:)
Such an interesting concept for a cafe! Shibuya’s just the place for it ;P
I agree..If any place, then Shibuya!
That Animal Planet show MUST LOVE CATS featured a cat cafe in Japan. The host brought along his guitar and serenaded the cats (I think) but I don’t know the cats dug it or not. Did you meet a particular cat that you liked?
Wow! I would have loved to watch that. At Hapi neko, you were not allowed to do anything that would upset the cats or disturb their daily routines. I’m actually not really a cat person, but I found all of the cats at Hapi Neko adorable, and some of them really seemed to have distinct personalities. The big black and white one on the first picture really had a “take-no-cr*p”-attitude both towards the other cats and the visitors. At some point it even hit one of the other cats with its paw:)
Yes, he does look as if he’d have no problem letting you know what’s what!
Oh my! This is just the kind of therapy one needs when going for a coffee! Not something we would ever see in my neck of the woods, but then, Aussie’s do tend to be in denial about their animal loving tendencies. I never would have thought that this exists. Lovely
There aren’t many cat cafés in Denmark either:) Not really sure that such a concept would work in Denmark, but it Japan, it’s very popular. Thanks for stopping by:)
Omgg! So cute!! I wish I could go there though!:) I’m sure it would have been so relaxing
It was…but also a bit strange:)
This is such a generous and wonderful idea! I hope it’s ok, but I shared the link to your page on my Facebook page so my friends could find your post. The pictures of the kittens are beautiful and show them in all their furry lovableness. Thank you for a heart-warming post!
And thank you for your nice comment and for sharing the link to my post:)
Love the guest book!
Yes, it’s so cute.
Ha ha, fantastic! Love your description and great pics – now that I´m not able to go myself;)
It’s probably the strangest place I’ve ever visited…not only in Japan but in the whole world:)
Very interesting!
And very strange:) Thanks for stopping by:)
Oh my god! Cute cats! I love!
Are those cat post it notes too?
http://www.fashionforlunch.wordpress.com
Yep! There’s even a cat blog (though it’s entirely in Japanese):)
I love this. So cool. I wish we had these in the U.S.
This would be a great place to visit!
If you come to Tokyo, don’t miss it!
Hello, Please, could you tell me the name of the underground station to go to Hapineko Cafe . Is it far from the station ? Thank you
Brigitte
bonjour,pourrais-tu s’il te plait, me dire quelle est la station de métro la plus proche et m’expliquer comment y aller du métro ? je te remercie
We just took the subway to Shibuya station (take the Hachiko exit). From there it’s only a short walk (it’s located on the busy entertainment street Dogenzaka).
Hapi Neko’s website:
http://hapineko.com/eigoindex.html
What a great idea, they are so cute.
Some of them were really big and fluffy:)
This must be the 1st time I heard of a cafe lie this one. Interesting n surely worth a vist! Ahh I’m dying to go Japan one day! Someday…
nice post!
You should..it’s such a wonderful..and strange..place:)
I’d heard about dog cafes but not cat ones! And Hapi (happy) Neko is such a cute name for it. :3 I love that face-on shot of the kitty with stunning green eyes. Very cool!
Wow. How cool is this!