Relax Bearing in Cat Cafe #2!

Last weekend, Ben and I checked out a different cat cafe called Calico (how appropriate). He had been there before but it was my first time. This cafe was a 100x better than the first one we went to in Harajuku.  Here's why:

--> this cat cafe is two stories.
--> it houses 20 different cats, representing 17 different breeds!
--> there's a separate little room with huge glass windows and bar seats for people who want to eat while they cat watch.
--> you can actually feed the cats at Calico- this definitely made the experience more worthwhile.  Our little containers filled with shredded chicken created some intense competition!

There was only one problem with this cat cafe: it was kinda hard to pay...

I wonder which one will be next?

poncho or umbrella...doshio?

You would think that after living here for almost six months I would be used to the weather, but I'm not.  For some reason the rain always catches me off guard.

It was sprinkling when I walked to Japanese class today, so I stopped at a convenience store to buy an umbrella.  I've learned not to take chances when it's drizzling outside and I have a long walk ahead of me.  I've owned five umbrellas since I moved to Japan (three are in good condition and two have died due to heavy winds) but today I bought a poncho.  I thought this was a good idea for a change and it was, even though when I put it on, about a quarter of my arms were still exposed and I couldn't get it to button in the front.  I guess it's the Japanese version of "one size fits all." 

After class, it was raining pretty hard so my Japanese teacher gave me an umbrella because clearly my poncho wasn't going to do me any good.  Why didn't I just buy an umbrella earlier?  Oh well, now I have one more to add to the collection.

"I'll have an iced tea with my cats, please"

Last Sunday, my friend Ben and I FINALLY found the cat café in Tokyo that we’ve been trying to locate for a while (It’s on the 5th floor of a building that’s hidden down a tiny alley in Harajuku -no wonder why we couldn’t find it for so long!)

The café, called Chamamo, was much smaller than I had imagined, but totally cool nonetheless. In this particular café there were nine cats “on staff”. It cost 1200 yen (about $12) to get one drink and spend one hour in the café. Before entering, we were instructed to wash our hands and change into slippers that the café provides.

The girl who works there introduced us to some of the cats (one of them is named “Lunch”). She told us we could pet the cats and play with them, but we weren’t allowed to pick them up.

The cats at Chamamo even have space to roam around in the ceiling.  Skinny pieces of criss-crossed wood decorated with leaves are situated about three feet under the actual ceiling so the cats can climb around up there if they want.

Ben and I wrote in the guest book we found on a table in the café. We found entries from people all over the world, like Germany and Taiwan. Our entries were among only a few written in English. The best part of the guest book was scoping out the different sketches of cats that visitors had drawn.

Before heading out, we groomed ourselves with the lint roller they provide at the front desk. Ben said that at a different cat café you can actually feed the cats-that’s where I’m going next.

You know it's influenza season in Japan when . . .

not only is everyone wearing face masks, but they also dispose of them on the streets. I can’t help noticing them on the sidewalks as I walk to and from work.  This kind of litter is far from what I’m used to seeing in California.

It's also interesting to observe the variety of masks.  I’ve seen a Lilo and Stitch mask, a cheetah print one, and even one with a cat nose and whiskers on it (which I immediately sent home to dad, of course).

Some are small, covering just the mouth and nose while others are larger, extending from under the chin to right under the eyes. Some have thick elastic straps to go around the ears while others have thin straps.  I even saw one mask with extra padding to cover the exposed areas on the sides of your nose…talk about ultimate protection, right?

I’ve tried wearing masks a few times but haven’t been able to keep them on for more than an hour or so. I guess it’s one of those things that takes some time to get used to. Some people don’t even take them off to smoke a cigarette or get something to eat. They simply pull the mask down under their chin until they’re ready for it again.

I’m not really sure whether or not these masks actually prevent influenza or keep people from spreading it, but I do know this: if I ever spot a Relax Bear mask, I’m buying it.