[Columbine]

Cat cafes and puppy cafes are nothing really all that new in Japan. They're popular amongst people who can't keep pets in their apartments or work too much to make it practical. You pay for time spent there rather than food/drinks so the focus is more on playing with the animals than getting a decent coffee/lunch. There's also (so I hear) rent-a-pet companies where you can rent animals for companionship, all sorts, even beetles.

Seems pretty awesome though. I'd visit a cat cafe if I was in Japan long-term and couldn't keep my own cat.