Tokyo: Happy cats at Hapi Neko Cat Cafe

Update: Hapi Neko is now permanently closed

In Tokyo I visited Hapi Neko, which is a cute little cat café in Shibuya. I’ve been there a couple of times since I first discovered it, because even though I’m not a cat person, I really like the place. It’s like a nice and peaceful cat oasis in the middle of Shibuya’s hustle and bustle,and the cats seem to be enjoying themselves. In fact, the cats pretty much rule the place, and the humans visiting the café are just humble subjects.

This time I booked 30 minutes in the café. It’s actually a bit on the short side, but since I was the only one in the café, I figured I would still have plenty of quality time with the cats. Though cats have their own little ways, and most of them decided to take a nap, while I was there.

It wasn’t until I started fiddling with the cat treats, that a few of them got curious and came over. You’re not allowed to feed the cats with your hands, so you put each treat in a little bowl one at a time, for the cats to eat. I tried to split the treats equally among the cats, but there was a black cat, who kept snatching the morsels from the other cats. He reminded me of Waz’ Tony Cat. So sly, but also so cute, you can’t really get mad at him.

By the way I’ve heard that owl cafés are the next big thing in Tokyo. While I have no problem visiting a cat café like Hapi Neko, owl cafés just feel wrong in so many ways. Owls are wild creatures and shouldn’t be kept in captivity. They should be out flying and catching mice, shouldn’t they? Call me a hypocrite with double standards, but I would never visit an owl café. Would you?

My guide to other fun things to do in Tokyo