Gateway to Kitty Nirvana

This cat café is in the Decks entertainment complex in Odaiba

In a country where many people live in places too small for pets, cat cafés are a booming business. For about $10 an hour, anyone (over the age of 12) can sip a latte and pet herds of cats for as long as their wallets hold out or until their allergies kick in. The most famous of these, the Kaliko Cat Café – with branches in Shinjuku and Kichijōji – has around 50 cats. Most of them are purebred – Maine Coon, Abyssinian, Munchkin, Persian, Scottish Fold, Tabby, etc. plus a few typical Japanese calicos with half-length tails. At any time, 25 of them are off duty in the back room sleeping, and the other 25 are on duty at the café…well, sleeping.

Cat cafés draw a mixed clientele of lonely singles and couples on dates. There are always a few regulars, who just like to sit and read their papers with a latte, pretending they’re at home being snubbed by their very own cats.

Fat cats, skinny cats, longhaired cats, short-tailed cats, even cats wearing t-shirts are available to be petted and adored
Lattes are served upside down, with the coffee on top and the milk at the bottom, lest all the cats descend upon your drink like a flock of seagulls
Cat toy stations are strategically placed around the room, promising that if you’re really skillful, you might tempt a cat to acknowledge your existence.
The hardworking cats on duty at the Shinjuku Kaliko Café
The obliging Kichijōji Kaliko Café cats will happily disdain to acknowledge your existence, just as if they were your own!
A somewhat chubby example of a typical Japanese alley cat: calico tri-color with a short tail. This one’s tail is longer than most – usually they’re about half-length.
A Munchkin, sort of the Dachshund of cats

The Kalico Cat Cafe has closed ( ; _ ; ) but there are plenty of others you can visit that are equally delightful!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for
Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon

For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, changing the lives of all who possess it…read more

“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist

Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Published by Jonelle Patrick

Writes all the Japan things.

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