2024-01-30 05:48:02
TOKYO (AP) — First came the pet-friendly cafes. Then they opened others with cats where the drinks took a backseat to the interaction with the felines. And the latest trend in Japan is cafes with pigs.
“It was wonderful. Very relaxing and enjoyable,” said Brad Loomis, a computer engineer from Pullman, Washington, after visiting Tokyo’s Mipig Café with his 21-year-old daughter Paige.
They were among dozens of customers taking selfies and smiling huge smiles around the store on a recent morning. The pigs, a miniature breed, trotted around the room looking for a cozy lap to curl up on.
The animals are surprisingly calm, although they snort from time to time. We like to be alone, so they make great company. And unlike the stereotype, they are very clean and do not smell bad.
Customers pay 2,200 yen ($15) for the first 30 minutes in the company of the pigs, and reservations are required.
“Each pig is unique. Each one has their personality. You can tell that one is more stubborn and another is more tender,” said Shiho Kitagawa, an executive at Mipig who refers to the animals with the honorific term “buta-san.”
The Mipig Café in the trendy Harajuku neighborhood is among 10 of its kind the chain has opened across the country since the first opened in the capital in 2019. Two more are in the works and will be operational later this year.
The animals, known as “micro pigs,” grow no larger than a corgi, even as adults. The cafes also feature adorable baby pigs that are the size of a toy poodle.
Pig lovers say they make excellent pets. They can be purchased for around 200,000 yen ($1,350) at Mipig, where they have already been potty trained and are used to being around people. The company, which also markets food for that breed, says it has sold 1,300 specimens as pets.
This type of cafe is the latest in a series of animal establishments in Japan, including those with owls, hedgehogs, birds and even snakes.
Some have raised ethical questions about whether animals enjoy the experience as much as humans.
“It must be stressful to be touched and petted by a bunch of strangers,” said Sachiko Azuma, head of the group PEACE, which advocates for an end to animal cruelty and exploitation. “Animals have become tools of a lucrative business.” .
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