Bucket List Must-Haves: Tokyo’s Ghibli-Inspired Cat Village

Posted on 05/07/2021 Last updated on 07/09/2021

Top photo: Zygel Doll Jamelano, used with permission

“It is probably one of the most underrated places you can visit in Tokyo and you wouldn’t know what you are missing until you get there.”

When we think about Japan, some of the most common things that enter our minds includes the technology, their world-famous green tea, their unique fashion sense, and their animation or anime. Some of the latter tend to stick out more than others — take Studio Ghibli for example. Now, imagine entering a village made up of accessory shops, restaurants and cat cafes heavily inspired by the charming setting of Ghibli movies — it sure will make you feel warm fuzzies even in winter time.

In the Tokyo’s Kichijoji is just such a place — the Petit Mura Complex. You will immediately notice it because of the number of people taking photos of the exteriors of the buildings and the crowds that sometimes build around it. Its exterior is made up of stained-glass windows, flowers and vines hugging the walls; its color has a unique tinge of grey that makes you feel like you just entered a picture book.

The complex itself is composed of four different areas inside. The first and perhaps most popular one is Temari no Oshiro which is the sister shop of Temari no Ouchi cat cafe. It boasts of 21 resident cats both young and old — and perhaps best of all is unlike other cat cafes where you need to pay per half hour, this place has no time limits.

You can order drinks and food while playing with their cats. The resident cats are quite friendly and motivate, and the food ‘s pretty good as well. The whole area is quite spacious inside and has three floors altogether which the guests and cats can roam freely — some cats even follow you around like this Norwegian Forest Cat named Lily who followed us everywhere we went.

They have some rules which guests are expected to follow such as no hugging or carrying of the cats, use disinfectants before entering the cat cafe, and no use of flash photography. A visit on the weekdays will set you back about 1,200 yen plus tax. On weekends they usually charge around 1,600 yen and any day after 7 in the evening it’s 700 yen plus tax.

The second area within the village is called “Toko Toko Circus” which is an accessory and daily necessities store. Upon entering you’ll find yourself lost inside a forest of cat items — which aptly reflects the concept of the place. The place is supposed to represent the thoughts of “Milk the Minchkin” who lived in a mystical forest and made it her life’s dream to create a cat shop that would one day be famous all over the world.

They’ve got every possible item you can think of: stationeries, kitchen items, stamps, bags, accessories, umbrellas – the list goes on.

The third and perhaps the most misunderstood part of this cat-village is their restaurant named “The Tea House Happa”. Just looking at the exteriors, you find yourself a little intimidated because it is absolutely breathtaking, which may lead most to have the wrong assumption — this place must be quite expensive. Thankfully, we tried dining there and realized that we paid about the same amount we’d usually spend when eating in chain restaurants like Saizeriya.

The interiors of the restaurant looks like the combination of autumn and dusk if it were a place. It makes you feel relaxed and at home — especially the aroma of the different teas brewing around you. We tried their rose tea which came in a beautiful glass pot. We dined on salmon bruschetta with an exquisite flavor made up of garlic, olives, shallots and oregano.

We also had their basil chicken sandwich and finished off with their fruit tart gelato. The restaurant if made up of two floors and the seating areas feature traditional Japanese and Italian designs. After eating, you may also go around and take a lot of photos. You can get more information about their menu from their website in here: https://teahouse-happa.com/

All in all, it was a great experience and worth visiting this place, whether you’re a cat lover or not. It is also located just a few minutes walk from Inokashira Park and all around the area are other quaint and unique shops you can visit. I’ve been there a few times after visiting the park and if you’re lucky, there may even be an art gallery present. I even bought my “Good job” stamp from there and my students absolutely adore it.

Will it make your bucket list?

Photo Credits:

All photos for this article were provided by Zygel Doll Jamelano, used with permission