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Overview
This article is part of our series on the 17 most unique things to have come out of Japan. Check out the other 16.
The opening of Australia's first cat cafes have whipped up quite a frenzy over the last year, but in Japan, cat cafes are old news. The nation has long been obsessed with pet therapy — when you’re living in a crowded area, working long hours and can't keep an animal of your own, there’s nothing like a quick snuggle to relax and re-energise. Since cats, Japan has moved onto a plethora of other creatures great and small, from goats to rabbits to reptiles. Wherever you are, you need never eat or drink without a side of cuddles.
At Sakuraoka Cafe, in Tokyo, two goats by the names of Chocolat and Sakura have been in residence since 2010. They inhabit their own private barnyard, within the eatery, so you can lean over for pats and nuzzles at your leisure. Meanwhile, at Usagi-to-Cafe in Nagoya, there are rabbits available for cuddles at the rate of 100 yen per minute.
But the mother of all Japan’s animal cafes is probably Cafe Little Zoo, found in the Chiba prefecture just outside of Tokyo. There’s a bunch of different snakes, iguanas and a ball python. If reptiles aren’t your thing, you can choose from a slew of feathered friends, including owls and falcons.