猫カフエCat Cafes! Nya!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Academic Disclaimer: This blog is a class project for my Visual Anthropology class; as such it is for educational purposes only. All photos posted here were taken taken by myself unless otherwise noted.

Me and my good friend Donguri. (Photo taken by my 
boyfriend Kei.)

Japan is in a constant state of craving for kawaii. It is also in a constant state of kawaii creation. While it cannot take credit for the cuteness and cuddliness of cats, it can take credit for the creation of cat cafes. It is understandable that to foreigners the term "cat cafe" holds a lot of mystery. Contrary to the use of the word "cafe" these establishments have little to do with food or refreshments. Some offer more in the line of food and drink than others. Some offer no refreshments at all (i.e. Nekobukuro), some have a small drink service and offer soft drinks (i.e. 299), very few offer actual food. The main purpose of a cat cafe is to offer a relaxing environment in which the customer can simply enjoy the company of cats. Depending on the size and popularity of the cafe, they range in comfortability, number of kitty residents and means of entertainment (manga, internet, toys for the kitties). 

Anime and manga have made cats very popular indeed. Japan offers a variety of cat magazines like Nekogurashi (Living with Cat) and Nekopunch, which is a monthly collection of cat manga. Of course cat paraphernalia and accessories have long been related to kawaii and moe cosplay and characters. It is only natural that Japan would make special establishments to pay homage to our very kawaii and furry friends!

My favorite resident of Ikebukuro's 299 (Nikukyu), Donguri.

Each resident of 299 has a birthday party each year!
This year was Donguri's 4th birthday!

JAPAN LOVES FOOD

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Academic Disclaimer: This blog is a class project for my Visual Anthropology class; as such it is for educational purposes only. All photos posted here are taken by myself unless otherwise noted.

Sanrio's Hello Kitty obento from Sanrio Puroland.

Tira Misu Arrange Latte from Cafe La Vent in Hatanodai.

Everywhere in Japan, the presentation of food is equally important as its preparation. Food is edible art. Japan also prides itself in hosting a variety of creatively themed cafes in which patrons can enjoy their expertly crafted meals, sweets and beverages. I myself have been to a multitude of colourful restaurants and cafes such as Swallowtail, which is a well known Shitsuji (Butler) cafe; The Lockup, an izakaya style restaurant where you dine in prison cells and spooky jail ghouls come to haunt you during lights out; Ginza's Vampire Cafe and Shinjuku's Alice in Wonderland cafe where your servers and hosts are dressed as Disney's Alice, the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. The aforementioned are just a handful of the cafes I have visited, as recounting all of them would take too long. Visiting these locations and sampling these beautiful treats has long since become a hobby of mine, but what excites me most when I'm ordering is the photo opportunities. 

Since I moved to Japan over 3 years a go, food has become my favorite thing to photograph. This is not an uncommon past time in Japan. I often see Japanese people of all ages photographing their Starbucks frappuccino, for example, before taking the first sip. In my experience, the most artfully crafted treats Japan has to offer are sweets and lattes. Please enjoy a sampling of some beverages and food I have photographed during my residence in Japan.

Kuroshitsuji's Ciel Phantomhive soft serve ice cream from
Sunshine City's Namjya Town Kuroshitsuji Event.

Another delicious dessert from
Namjya Town's Kuroshitsuji event.

The "Caterpillar" dessert from
the "Alice" theme cafe
in Shinjuku.

Another dessert from Shinjuku's
"Alice" themed cafe.