If you’ve seen anything about visiting Tokyo, you probably heard about the animal cafes — spots where you pay for a time slot, grab a drink, and spend an hour petting something adorable. Think cat cafés, owl cafés, and in our case… a mini pig café and a chinchilla-and-gerbil café.
It’s peak Tokyo: quirky, cute, and slightly surreal.
Our kids, of course, were in heaven. Evelyn (8) and Daxton (3) practically squealed louder than the pigs when we walked into Mipig Café. Within seconds, tiny pigs climbed into their laps like they’d been waiting all day for cuddles. Watching Evelyn gently cradle one while another tried to nap on Daxton’s knee… honestly, my heart melted. Then one pig casually started eating a woman’s dress (and managed to make a large hole!) which broke the spell a bit.
It was probably dinner time; they were squealing up a storm.
The whole thing was hilarious and a little chaotic. And quite expensive. But it was also one of those “only in Tokyo” moments that made the trip feel special. We did wonder, though, if the animals were having as much fun as we were. Between the constant rotation of visitors and all the touching, it felt a bit more like a cute-sized zoo than a café.
A few days later, we tried a quieter chinchilla-and-bunny café. Softer lighting, gentler animals, calmer vibe. The kids whispered to the gerbils like they were telling secrets. You pay extra for a little bowl of food to feed them, which of course, we also did. It was sweet, peaceful… and again, surprisingly pricey.
But by the end, both kids were grinning ear to ear and begging to go back.
Would we recommend it? Absolutely. Once.
It’s fun, weird, and very Tokyo. If your kids love animals (and what kid doesn’t?), it’s worth the splurge for the memory alone. Just go in with open eyes: it’s as much an experience for you as it is a job for the animals.
Still, watching your kids’ faces light up as a piglet falls asleep in their lap? That’s the kind of moment you can’t put a price on. Or, maybe you can… and that’s why it’s so pricy!
