Ueno Cat cafe ‘'Nekomaru’'
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November 11, 2012 - Ueno Cat cafe ''Nekomaru''
Living in Japan and can't have a pet, traveling and miss your companions, or just a cat lover who doesn't want the trouble of owning? Try a trip to a cat cafe for your kitty-fix! Animal Cafes are the new thing for people who love animals but for some reason can't have one. Relax in a cafe setting surrounded by animals and enjoy a beverage of your choice at these hip places in a big city near you!
Animal Cafes seem to be the new thing right now, and since my favorite animals is the cat, and I can't have one at this time, I wanted to visit a cat cafe when I got a chance. I tried to go to a cafe in Akihabara on my last trip, but it was a Saturday and they were crowded, so I decided to wait for a better time. This time around, since we were going to go to Ueno anyway, I chose a cafe in Ueno to check out.
There are many choices online for cafes, but I chose this particular one because it is right around the corner from Ueno Station. Going to the side away from the park, simply look for the building with the "First Kitchen" restaurant on the first floor. Go around the left side and you will find an elevator. The Cat Cafe is on the 8th floor.
Once you get off the elevator, the entrance is directly in front of you. There is a small entrance way to take off your shoes, and an attendant will side-step all the kitties running around and give you a small locker for your stuff, ask you how long you want to stay, and then give you a receipt and the key to keep with you. One hour of time at the cafe is 1050 yen on weekdays and 1260 on weekends, but you can also do a slightly cheaper 30 minutes if you a) want to try it out, or b) have a boyfriend impatiently waiting for you to stop being silly about cats. 30 minutes is 840yen and each additional 15 minutes is 263yen, so really the hour is the better deal. There are also plans for longer stays as well.
There is also a drink menu, a few food items, and even alcohol if you want, but I didn't care for that... I wanted to play with the kitties! The cafe itself is a bit narrow and small, but the cats have a lot of beds and toys to play with, and have the run of the place. The atmosphere is easy going, and the people there are mostly cat lovers. There are many older cats napping or playing around, and a few kittens being rambunctious and curious. There is even a picture catalog in English detailing all the cats and their personalities! In the space there were about 15 or so cats of all different colors and breeds, and pictures and pettings are welcome!
When your time is up, an employee will approach, and then you will pay, grab your stuff, wash your hands again, and head back out, hopefully filled to the brim with happiness from being around kitties for the past hour. I know I was!
A quick note, we called ahead to check availability and was told that generally in the mornings there was no need to make a reservation, but around 2PM it gets crowded and one might be needed. If you are unsure, go around 10 or 11AM during the weekends so you don't have to wait for a spot to open, or you can even reserve on many websites.
The website for this particular cafe is http://www.nekomarucafe.com/ueno/index.html. They also have two other cafes. The cafe I almost went to in Akihabara is called JaLaLa, and their website is here: http://nekojalala.com. The prices and instructions seemed to be about the same. However, these seem to be pretty common in many big cities, not just limited to popular Tokyo stations!
If cats aren't your thing, don't despair! Japan has no shortage of dog lovers, and there are many cafes to cater to them as well, though I don't have any personal experience with these. And recently on JapanProbe.com there was an article about a Falconers cafe and even a reptile cafe in Yokohama! My next visit to Yokohama I think I'll try to go there.
Meow!
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