CAT CAFE MOCHA（Akihabara Store） — Restaurant in Tokyo

Visited in December 2024, on a Sunday afternoon/midday. Very crowded. I love the cat cafes in Tokyo and this was my first time at this location. Staff was very friendly and inviting. You can tell that they really care about the cats too. Based on my experience from other locations, I can tell that this location specifically encounters more foreigners because they have materials ready in English, Mandarin, and Korean. The other locations I have not seen that. Like with other locations, this one offers free drinks and the drinks are unlimited. The drink station is separate from the cat area, so you don't have the cats crawling in that space. That's a nice change from the others that I've been to. As far as the treats for cats go, I think they offer a few more treats than other locations. This could be because of the high amount of traffic at this specific store. The treats are worth buying, but the cats seem less interested in them that they have at other locations. I think this is simply because there are so many people there. The size of this cafe is much smaller than the others that I've been to. As compared to my favorite location, it's maybe 1/3 the size. But it seems to have approximately the same number of cats and a similar variety of cats. I do really enjoy watching the cats get in the little birdcage shelves that are hanging from the ceiling. They look absolutely adorable hanging out up there. The pictures I got of them alone were worth the cost of going to the cafe. Like with other locations, there's a flat charge for the first 30 minutes, followed with 220 yen per 10 minutes afterwards for a maximum of something like 3,300 yen, excluding any treats that you purchase. Like with other locations, there are video game consoles so you can play games, a manga selection in Japanese, lots of places to sit, small tables for your drinks, and toys for the cats to play with. There are also vending machines for the cat treats. Like with other locations, it also has the storage for your belongings. I did however see people with bags and laptops to do work on while they were in the cafe. I also noticed that this location has charging cables for a variety of devices. Other locations probably have this too, but I just never noticed it. This was a fun location to visit. However, there are other cat cafes that I enjoy more because there's more room and fewer people. I find that the cats are more interested in interacting with me and the treats that I have purchased for them when there are fewer people around. If the cats know that there are lots of people, they are less likely to want a treat that is offered to them because they know another one is coming soon. I did appreciate the costumes that some of the cats were wearing. They are just too cute! All of that being said, if you came to this location and you were disappointed, don't let that ruin your experience on cat cafes. Keep trying them out! And try them out at different times of the day, you are likely to have a different experience. It's a lot of fun at this location, especially if you just need somewhere to vibe for a little while. Definitely check it out! As a side note, I don't have any pictures of the inside of the cafe that shows the space because there were so many people there. I didn't want to post a picture of them without...

Something’s slightly off about this place. The cats aren’t up for adoption. They’re all pure breeds, very fluffy, but some looked like they had some sort of genetic disorder. Bugged out eyes, legs half the length of what they should be, noses so squashed, it’s a wonder if they breathe properly. They either stare into the void, pick fights with each-other, or just generally look miserable.

If you try to play with them, they show no interest. If you move closer they run away. At cat cafes, usually there’s at least one extroverted cat who enjoys human interaction. Of course, not all cats act like this, but it’s strange when every cat goes out of their way to avoid being near a human. They wouldn’t so much as sniff my hand.

The guests are told not to pick up the cats. I agree with this advice, but the handlers kept moving the cats to the window so a group of school children could look at them. Sure, it’s cute for the children, but the cats whined every time. They didn’t want to be at the window.

They did not feed the cats prior to opening. When they did, they lined all the bowls up for pictures. If a cat did not face the guests, they were picked up so they could face the right direction. If they didn’t want to eat, too bad. They were picked up and put in their place.

TLDR: the focus seemed more on the humans than the cats. Something’s wrong with those cats. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were abused in some way.

Just looked up: the owners let cats die from FIV in 2017 because it was cheaper to get new cats than treat the...

After having been in Seoul to 2 cat cafes, my son absolutely wanted to go to one here in Tokyo. We were pleasantly surprised by the clean, warm, cozy and definitely cat friendly environment. And yes, the staff is welcoming, helpful and again the whole 'check-in' procedure was as everything in Tokyo, well organised. I liked the fact that the cafe was also thought of as a kind of 'book cafe' though all the mangas were unfortunately in Japanese...liked the idea to even provide a little gaming/Nintendo switch station. But, yes, as mentioned already in some reviews, most of the cats were very shy, if not at all into be touched, let alone petted. And the cats seemed to have been 'selected' as kind of 'social media' worthy cats, all very nice looking and ideal for those hungry social media/ tictokkers who always want yo get the perfect shot.. I wouldn't have minded to see more 'normal' and even rescued cats, but guess, latter would be not 'instagram/tiktok' material...having our own rescued cat at home, we know how cute former stray cats can also be... But yes., overall I think the cats were much better looked after than in the cat cafes back in Seoul and living in a much more appropriate environment than the owls in the owl cafe we had visited a couple of days ago, also in Tokyo. Would recommend it though not sure what to think about the general concept of these animal cafes in Asia, confined in tiny spaces and actually with the only raison d'etre to become/be photogenic animals for the 'amusement' of...