Therefore, I decided to visit as many animal cafes as I could in Tokyo.
Calico cat cafe きゃりこ 新宿店
Address: 〒160-0021 Tokyo, Kabukicho, １−１６−２
http://catcafe.jp/shop_shinjyuku.html
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Tip : Try to visit before meal time. After being fed, cats get sleepy and do not want to play.
No reservation needed and you can walk in anytime. This two-storey cat cafe has more than 40 cats in different breeds & sizes and I am sure you will find (more than) one you like.
This cafe sells chicken cat treat for 500 yen and you should add it in your budget although it is not compulsory.
We thought we could get by not paying 500 yen for chicken and just play with cats.
Yet, the reality is - all cats there were utterly food driven as if they were underfed!!
If you have no food, the cats won't bother to come near you... :(
We did end up getting one pack. All cats came for food then left when it was done.
Still a great fun to be surrounded by cats and stroke them.
Staff were very gentle when caring for their cats and it is a good thing to see. Most cats were active and healthy but a few looked sick with watery eyes.
Dog-Heart
Address: 1 Chome-45-2 Tomigaya, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 151-0063
http://dog-heart.ico.bz/
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Tip : Do not go over weekend or peak hours!
Tip : Dog walking is better than play time.
Honestly I am not a big fan of this cafe and do not recommend it. Reasons being :
1. This tiny 300-square dog cafe is way too small to be home of 11 dogs. I saw dogs going circles as they were bored. Also, some dogs got uncomfortable and try to hide as the guests sitting/ standing at its favourite spots. Dogs do need more space...
2. My fiance was underwhelmed by the lack of variety. 7 toy poodles, 3 beagles and 1 golden retriever. You might like it if you are a big fan of poodles. Yet, the selection is really limited.
* 3. Besides play time in cafe, this cafe offers dog walking experience and it is what the problem lies. Dogs there are not interested in playing with humans but going out for walk. Every single dog there wants to go out for walk and they will run to the door when they see new visitors. It happened more than 5 times in 30 minutes we were there. Dogs also bark fiercely when their fellow are back from walk or when they see someone pass by walking their dogs...
