cat cafe

I went to Ikebukuro today with a couple of friends to experience a cat cafe. We went to a place called Nekorobi and it took us forever to find because of the fact that there are no street signs in Japan (><).
Anyway, so the place was more like a daycare than a cafe. I expected it to be like a full cafe, with tables and a menu, but it was just a shared common room with books, devices, etc. for public use. They did have free drinks (from a vending machine) and snacks (junk food), though. Basically, people go there to see and pet cats. Surprisingly, the crowd was all Japanese (and I bet there were regulars, too); we were the only foreigners. The first couple of minutes, I was excited, but after a while, I realized how terrible the whole idea was. The air in the room was filled with unhappiness. The cats were so pitiful, they didn't even like to be petted or picked up. Since they're constantly in contact with strangers who want to touch them, they're at the point where they don't even want to be with humans (I think). None of the cats looked happy at all (not that cats can express their emotions through smiles or tears), but the atmosphere gave it away. Most of them were sleeping around (no energy) and the ones that were up and walking were avoiding us. And none of the guests seemed to notice this at all! They just continued to harass the poor cats.

Ikebukuro: this may actually be one of my favorite city places so far just because it is not as crowded as the other ones, such as Shinjuku and Shibuya. 

So it is ¥1200 per hour per person on weekends, and ¥300 for every fifteen minutes you stay.

The Lion King

I was glad to get out of the place after an hour. Now that I've seen it for what it is, I don't think I want to go to anymore animal cafes. The whole idea is just horrifying, but the business goes on because actual Japanese people support it.

On a happier note, we went to a taiyaki place inside Ikebukuro station because, you know, if I'm there and I see one, we're bound to stop by.

samples! These were cheese anko.

But I bought 白玉 shirotama, which is a green tea flavored taiyaki, with red bean and dango (mocha) filling. 

It was good, but it was too doughy for my liking. I like my taiyaki crispy. The green tea was good, though.