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!