Cat Cafe

Jessica and I went to the local Neko Café in Kawagoe and had a fun time petting and running after the kitties. The first thing we were asked when we entered the café was if we could speak Japanese and then we were told the rules of the café. You are not allowed to pick up the cats or hug them and you must take off your shoes and leave all unnecessary items such as your purse or bag in a locker. Bringing a camera, cell phone, notebook, book, pencil, etc is fine, however. Before entering and handling the cats, you also must wash your hands. The café cost 1000yen for an hour and a drink in a pet bottle such as milk tea, Fanta, Coca Cola, or water. Every 15 minutes after the hour was an additional 200yen, but three hours only cost 2000yen. Still I thought it was a little expensive, but it was a fun experience that you can only do in Japan, and thus was worth it for the first time. At the end of the hour, I was given a reward card to cash in after the 15th visit. The front of the card featured a photo of my chosen favorite cat on it.

The “café” room was more spacious than I expected and only one man besides us was in the café. I assume that during the weekend or after school hours, the place becomes more crowded with people. For being a place where many cats live, I didn’t smell any “cat-like” smells at all. It was very clean. There was only one table so it wasn’t really a “café;” but more like a lounge. Cushions and beanbags were scattered about on the floor and there were play areas for the cats to rest in or run through. The café also featured a good variety of manga to read, a few (mostly foreign) movies to watch, and even a Nintendo gameboy DS to play as you enjoyed the environment of being surrounded by cats. There was even a massage chair. Framed photos of cats were also hanging on the walls. One wall in particular was dedicated to the current cats’ biographies with a photo of each cat to accompany the information. The cats were not as people friendly or loveable as I had hoped sadly. They just lazed around on the cushions or window frames and ran away when you tried to pet them. They did not seem to want to play either. We tried to play with them with their toys but they just stared at us very unamused. I wonder if they were just so used to the attention that they didn’t care about people being around, or if they were tired of so much attention and thus wanted to avoid human contact. I never had pets before, but I thought animals that are used to humans are friendlier. When I was trying to play with the youngest white cat, the café owner told me to bend over and let it climb on my back. The cat just leaped onto my back and stayed there. It didn’t seem to care that I was moving around either. It even lied down on my back and curled up! It was amusing and a lot of fun.

There were a total of nine cats and all were different breeds. Two cats had super short legs, which I had never seen before on a cat. The cats were very well groomed and behaved. They also had the softest fur I had ever felt! The hour we spent in the café was fun and definitely an interesting once-in-a-lifetime-Japan-only-experience. However, I don’t believe it is worth 1000yen for a second visit. Maybe if the admission price was half that price I would be more be more willing to visit again and curl up on a cushion and do homework or read a book while playing with the cats. But I suppose for a person in Japan who lives in an apartment or house with strict animal ownership rules and thus cannot own a pet, a cat café is a good place for a person who really loves cats and who wants to be surrounded by them.

SwallowTail Butler Cafe in Ikebukuro

I am going to start out with my first blog about Japan. I have been wanting to blog about Japan for a long time and I have finally decided to do it! The first thing I want to talk about is one of my worst experiences in Japan. One of my worst experiences was actually going to the infamous Butler Cafe, Swallow Tail. I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was really upset about it.

I have read a lot of reviews about Swallow Tail butler cafe praising it, but I honestly thought it was unpleasant, awkward, and greatly over priced. Maybe otaku girls or fangirls would like it; however, my friend and I did not enjoy it at all. There a variety of different "types" of butlers. They have a glasses type, an older man type, a cute boy type, etc.

The cafe is located on Otome Road in Ikebukuro. It's by the K-books stores and not too hard to find. You are not allowed to take any photos inside the cafe so I do not have any. To eat at the cafe, you have to make an online reservation (in Japanese) 2 weeks in advance, but there are instructions in English. Their cancellation policies are a little strict but looking back at it they could never catch you since you do not give your credit card information.

Originally my friend and I were pretty excited before going and were excited when we first arrived. When you enter the cafe a butler takes your coats and stores them and then takes you to your table. You are told you cannot use your cellphone or camera (since they don't want photos being taken inside) and you must store your bags in a basket next to you. They will come around and tell you to put your phone away if you are using it.

Once we were seated at our table and received our menus our problem began. We had ate before coming, thinking it was going to be like other cafes were you can just order desserts. However, when we tried to order a dessert and some tea, they told us we could only order the 5000yen ($50) dinner set because it was 7pm. Before making reservations I had looked at the website and no where did it say (that I found) you had to order dinner. I told them he didn't want the dinner and that we only wanted desert and tea and thought we could order just dessert. But they wouldn't let us and didn't seem to think I understood any Japanese, so my friend and I both regrettably ordered their dinner set and hoped it was good and that we didn't throw up. We couldn't leave without paying 2000yen ($20) fee each for cancelling even if we had wanted to walk the door right then And no where to run when they have your jackets and it is cold out.

The best part was the tea. The tea I ordered was some vanilla extract and was really good and served in a cute cup. As I was told later, by our butler, each tea type has it's own specific cup. You can not refill your own tea even though they give you the pot. The butler has to do it for you. And it was something that just felt weird to me. Maybe I am too independent and want to pour my own tea... And he also has to escort you to the restroom if you which to use one. I found this awkward... Also I expected the bathrooms to be fancy, but they were not. Just normal. I was a little disappointed. I hoped the regal facade was everywhere. I didn't go to the restroom until they asked if we wanted to wash our hands after eating.

The inside of the cafe was cute and "regal." The majority of the people in the cafe were single Japanese women or pairs of women who seemed be blushing each time they interacted with the butlers. They were enjoying the experience at least. Maybe being treated like a princess is their thing, but I felt out of place. And I was angry about saying goodbye to my $50 the whole time I was there. Our butler did not try to talk to us until we were waiting to leave. He just asked us why we were in Japan and what school we went to mostly.

The first part of the meal were some sort of long crackers with a dip. They were not very good... Had no flavor. We hoped for better with the main course and dessert, but were disappointed. I do not remember the contents of my meal entirely. There was some meat, some fish, and some vegetables, and it was one of the worst things I have ever tasted in my life. Everything had little to no flavor. The portions were small, not as fancy or artful as I would had expected, and I tried to not throw up the Hawaiian burger I ate before coming. The dessert was also sad... My friend and I got different desserts, but I had some "apple pie." In Japan they seem to have very different ideas of what apple pie is than from other countries. Their pies are more like tarts. My apple "pie" wasn't very tasty. :(

We had to wait awhile before we were even allowed to leave. We paid and waited and were given a membership card where I guess we can use to save up points for each visit.

I would personally not recommend this cafe (especially for dinner). But maybe going during lunch time when you can just order tea and dessert is better. I did enjoy the tea a lot, but it was basically the only thing I enjoyed about the cafe. The ambiance was a little strange as well. Lots of socially challenged women swooning in the background. The butlers are not as handsome as you would hope either... 

This is the cafe's website if anyone does still want to check it out or if you just want to look at the site:
http://www.butlers-cafe.jp/