2017 April Fools: Cat Smile Company!

Hello everyone!! Kahotan here! (@gsc_kahotan)

I often get hungry when watching cat food commercials. They always make the food look so delicious! I’ve never owned a cat so I really don’t have any knowledge on the subject though!

Anyway, as some of you may have realized, yesterday the Good Smile site was taken over by our feline overlords as part of the April Fool festivities! ♪

▲ We hope you were pleasantly surprised when you accessed the site!

We worked together with a cat cafe in Akihabara called Cat Cafe MoCHA in order to make Cat Smile Company come to life for a day!

As part of the April Fool Project I went to the cat cafe together with Chan Shuu (@gscs_hirase), Suwabe (@gsc_suwabe), Yatomo (@gsc_tomo) and Kevin (@gsc_kevin) to take photos of the kitties! ♪

This was actually my first time ever going to a cat cafe! I was rather excited from the get go but there were a lot of things on my mind… Would I be able to take photos of the cats as they ran around? What kind of place was a cat cafe? Would I be able to fit in at such a stylish place?

It all worked out just fine though! The inside was such a friendly atmosphere!

At the entrance you first remove your shoes, sterilize your hands and place your baggage in a locker room!

Then you head inside…!

It’s so stylish! So pretty!!

SO MANY KITTIES!!

So cute…!

So Cute!!!

SO VERY CUTE!!!

As my first experience in a cat cafe the fact that I was surrounded by cats was amazing, but I was also very surprised at how stylish and modern the cafe looked on the inside!

My normal targets for photography don’t tend to move around much, so I was a bit worried when I was told I had to take photos of cats, but it was actually much easier to photograph them than I had imagined! They would even take cute little poses for me to capture!!

We went through on a weekday morning and while there were not many customers besides us, everyone was very laid back and relaxed as they enjoyed the kitties! ε=(｡・д・｡)

Whether you are just there to enjoy the cats, photograph them, or even sit and relax with some of the manga that is provided in the cafe… it’s such a wonderful place to sit back and relax!

Some people might be concerned that as they are not used to cats it may be awkward to suddenly be around so many – I was the same! But once you get inside and start playing with the cats you’ll forget anything like that and simply enjoy their cuteness!! It really was a wonderful place to have my first cat cafe experience!

I had the chance to speak with the Shibata from the Cat Cafe MoCHA’s PR department to ask what exactly makes their cat cafes so special!

The inside of our cafes focuses on a natural, wooden look that provides an overall warm and gentle appearance. The exception to this is the Ikebukuro East Exit store which has a more lounge-themed design. The Shibuya store has a more elegant approach – the look differs slightly between stores so we hope everyone will take a look at each of them!

The cats are obviously the main attraction, but it’s easy to see that a lot of attention is given to the design of the cafes as well! They are so warm an inviting! I honestly never expected a cat cafe to look so very modern and stylish!

Thank you for the compliments! MoCHA is a cat cafe after all, so cats will always be the main focus but we really do aim to create an area that people can come and relax even if there were no cats. The warm and stylish “cafe” like design allows for people who have never had the chance to come to a cat cafe to stop by and feel welcome.

 HOW TO ENJOY A CAT CAFE

What is the best way to get close to a cat?

The best way to start is to do the nose check! Point out your finger toward the cats nose and they will almost always come forward and give it a sniff! 

Cats themselves often do this themselves with their noses as a kind of greeting, so it’s a simple way to try and close the stranger gap between you and the cat! 

Do all of your stores allow visitors to touch the cats?

We welcome out guests to pet and play with the cats, but we do ask that you refrain from picking them up. We have a couple of cat toys available in the store as well which you are welcome to use to play with the kitties! By the way, if you wear a long skirt the cats will always come to you and try to hide under your skirt… making you a very popular guest!

Unfortunately I came in short pants!! I wish I had known that beforehand!

Cats love things that move so they naturally go to investigate the long skirts! We also have blankets in the cafe for those who feel chilly, and the cats will often come and jump on the laps of those who use them.

What are the cat treats on this board?

You can purchase cat treats and cat ice cream to feed the cats! These do cost a little extra, but you get to give the cats a little love back and have them come to you which makes it worth it for any cat lovers!

The best way to gain instant popularity with the cats!

 AKIHABARA STORE

Each of the stores has a different theme, what makes the Akihabara store stand out from the rest?

The Akihabara store has a huge selection of manga as well as game consoles to play on including the new Nintendo Switch! Perfect for the electronic town!

In other words you get to play game, read manga and enjoy being surrounded by cats all at the same time! What kind of guests come to visit?

Compared to other stores there are a lot more guests from overseas. We often also see people come in after work still wearing their suits to unwind after a day of hard work. Depending on the season we also get people that come after looking for work!

We also have various tools to remove hair and smells from your clothes before you leave, so don’t worry too much about what you are wearing!

I can understand wanting to come and visit after a long day at work! It’s the perfect place to relax and forget about any responsibilities for awhile!

As a side note, the weekends tend to get very busy, so if you want a more relaxed time I recommend coming on a weekday! Perhaps the best time to avoid the crowds is weekday mornings – the cats have also just woken up and tend to be very playful! 

We also have feeding time at 10:30 and 19:30 every day! You’re welcome to come at that time to see the kitties enjoying their meal! 

 YOUR FAVORITE CATS AT THE AKIHABARA STORE

There are a total of 24 cats at the Akihabara store, but which ones are your favorites?

It’s incredibly hard to choose as I really love them all, but if I had to pick my top 6 would be…

◆ Goemon ◆

Breed: Minuet

◆ Azuki ◆

Breed: Munchkin

◆ Kurumi ◆

Breed: Scottish Fold

◆ Momiji ◆

Breed: Scottish Fold (Calico)

◆ Wasabi ◆

Breed: Siberian

◆ Mitarashi ◆

Breed: Munchkin

You can find photos of the other cats over on the official website! ☆

MoCHA strives to cater to both cat lovers and those who are just looking for a nice place to relax. We would be glad to have you come and visit our Akihabara store or any other of the MoCHA stores around Japan! We look forward to welcoming you!

Thank you for your time!

If anyone is thinking about trying out a Cat Cafe this spring, I am happy to recommend MoCHA and their adorable kitties!!

◆ Cat Cafe MoCHA Official Site
◆ Akihabara Store Official Page

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Planning Team / Kahotan / Twitter ID：@gsc_kahotan
English Updates: @gsc_kevin