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Japan’s unrivaled strangeness occasionally lands on a idea that is pure genius, especially in the fields of food and cute things. Harry, a Tokyo café that allows patrons to play with hedgehogs, is a wonderful combination of both.
For anywhere from $9-12 per hour, patrons can play with 30 of the tiny rodents.
“We wanted to show people the charm of hedgehogs, which give the impression of being hard to handle. We wanted to get rid of that image by letting people touch them,” café worker Mizuki Murata told The Guardian.
We’ve never heard that stereotype about hedgehogs, who are known in the States mostly for their attitude and carelessness with golden rings. Preconceived notions about hedgehogs aren’t getting in the way of Harry’s turning a profit, however. Murata says that business is booming.
“There have been queues outside the store since we first opened and we’ve had to keep people waiting at times,” she said.
If they’re looking to expand to keep up with demand, I’ve heard rents are low at my house.
Because Japan is never one to go halfway on anything odd, the hedgehog café shares a building with a similarly themed space to play with rabbits. And Tokyo is already home to other such spaces for cats, snakes, hawks, and owls.
(Via The Guardian)
