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“Welcome to our café!” reads an advertisement for Nuigurumi Café in Tokyo. This greeting is not for you, however. It’s for your stuffed animals.
Nuigurumi Café, set to open on July 28, is going to be Japan’s first strictly stuffed animal café. Not only do they cater strictly to the plushy population – the café staff is made up completely of stuffed animals as well.
According to the Café site, nearly 85 percent of women in Japan own a stuffed animal. This seemed like a good enough customer population for Nuigurumi Café owners, who did not seem worried that these customers were inanimate objects.
Nuigurumi Café believes that if we go out for coffee and treats every now and then, why shouldn’t our stuffed animals be able to do the same? They believe that our stuffed friends should have access to leisure activities as well.
Stuffed guests are mailed to the café (after reserving a table during one of Nuigurumi’s bimonthly “seatings”) and after being led to their reserved table, they are served a mixed berry smoothie prepared by Nuigurumi’s own resident stuffed snake chef, Hebi-chan.
For the main course guests can expect a rice omelet with their name written in ketchup across the eggs. The dish is prepared by Karei the flounder, owner of the café.
If your stuffed animal still has room after the main course they can look forward to coffee and a stack of 10 pancakes for desert. The Café boasts a house coffee blend consisting of half Peruvian and half Tasmanian beans, which is sure to please the strictest of stuffed coffee connoisseurs.
After the meal your stuffed animal will get to hear a ghost story by Karei and play cards with the staff, and their night will end with a good nights sleep at Nuigurumi’s with a complementary bedtime story from Karei.
When their visit has come to an end, your stuffed animal will be mailed back to you along with souvenirs from their vacation – a coaster for people-sized drinks along with a photo album filled with memories from the visits. For those with a sweet-tooth, your stuffed animals will also return with some of the brown sugar the café serves with its coffee.
For those who want to visit Nuigurumi Café again in the future, the café offers a rewards program. After your stuffed animal’s first visit you will receive a loyalty card that gets a stamp with each visit. Enough stamps can earn you – and your stuffed pet – rewards like mugs, magnets and pins.
If you think it is about time to set one of your stuffed friends off for some rest and relaxation, Nuigurumi Café has packages starting at $40, but keep in mind that you need to reserve a spot. Currently reservations are full until mid-September, but you can keep up on availability here.
