Original Source: Daily Mail
Cat cafes were devised to relieve Japan’s residents from loneliness by allowing them to sip a cappuccino with a furry friend to stroke.
Many small apartments in Tokyo do not allow tenants to keep pets, and so establishments hosting felines on their premises proved an immensely popular concept.
Animal coffee shops have since spread globally seeing cat, owl and bunny cafes open in cities such as San Francisco and London.
Now, in a brave new move, the world’s first purring pub allows cat aficionados to spend time with the furry creatures over a cold pint of lager.
Neko Bar Akanasu, in Tokyo, (where else) serves up a menu of a variety of alcoholic beverages and small plates of food.
The drinking spot is also filled with freely roaming cats, who apparently even lend a helping paw to ensure the smooth running of the establishment.
Ginger kitty Chi is Akanasu’s ‘head of business operations’, manning the stairwell which customers climb to reach the main dining area, according to Rocket News 24.
At any given time, around five cats roam around Akanasu each day, including white kitten, Ah.
The owner of the pub, Koyanagai, who is in his 60s, told a Rocket News 24 reporter there’s never been a time in his life that he hasn’t owned a cat.
His family already had one when he was born, and as he got older, he started caring for cats from animal shelters, with his wife.
One of the kitties who resides at the Akanasu pub in Tokyo
Whilst it was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, the couple found themselves becoming attached to the creatures.
They’ve now and ended up giving them a permanent home in their watering hole and eatery.
Koyanagi says he’s drawn to the capricious nature of cats, and while the creatures spend time in his pub they aren’t actually required to work.
Signs inside the restaurant ask customers to refrain from grabbing the cats or coercing them into playing when they’re not in the mood.
Whether the cats interact with the customers is entirely up to them, as evidenced by the few we noticed nonchalantly taking cat naps while we ate our meal.
The signs also caution against feeding the cats from your own plate. Instead of people food, Koyanagi has cat treats on hand for them, and he gave us a handful to help us make friends with his pets.
Located in the Ashigaoka neighborhood, the pub is a novel stop off point to refuel for those visiting the other dining, shopping, and entertainment venues nearby.
Whether the cats interact with the customers is entirely up to them
Signs inside the restaurant ask customers to refrain from grabbing the cats
Akanasu opens 6pm-12.40am and features 60s bar chairs, soft lighting and potted plants, not unlike a retro coffee shop.
The reasonable menu offers mixed hors d’oevres for 700 yen (just over £4) and cocktails from 450 yen (£2.50).
There’s also a two-and-a-half-hour all-you-can-drink deal for 1,999 yen (£11.50).
Koyanagi says that he’s had patrons come from as far away as Aomori Prefecture, several hours north of Tokyo even by Shinkansen.
One of the kitties who resides at the Akanasu pub in Tokyo
One of the kitties who resides at the Akanasu pub in Tokyo.
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