Cat Houses & Paid Companions of Tokyo

Midori
Midori
Jul 21, 2017 · 5 min read

As far as pleasure seeking adventures go, it was an odd experience, even for me. I was petting pussy in a cathouse in Tokyo, deep within the entertainment quarter of Shibuya. My left hand nursed a drink while the right hand caressed my professional companion in an act of socially sanctioned commercial intimacy. To my knowledge, this type of service is still relatively rare in North America. I’ll admit that I’m paying for what I get for free at home. I’m not actually needing this kind of attention now. I’m here tonight out of sheer curiosity — just because the whole concept is novel and weird to me. Oh, all right, maybe I want this just a little. But let’s keep this our secret, ok?

I even told my mother, a widow of some time, where I went and what I did. Now she wants to go. Between you and me, I know what she’s into so I’m nervous that she’s going to blow the little inheritance I may have coming on these wily staff members.

Sadly, I don’t remember the name of the boy I spent time with. He was so adorable that I was too smitten to bother to check the tiny silver ID tag hanging off his handsome red collar. He was a beautiful gray tabby with pale green eyes, probably about two years old. I’m a sucker for gray cats in the same way some men are for redheads.

Yes, cats. I’m talking about four-legged fur covered purr machines.

Welcome to the phenomenon of Cat Cafes in Japan. Starting about six years ago, cat cafes have sprung up all over urban centers in Japan, drawing feline devotees desperate for some furry companionship. They are more than happy to dole out precious Yen to lavish attention upon these often-fickle creatures. The desk clerk at Cat Café Hapineko told me that it all started in Taiwan and spread to Japan and Korea. Most of the clientele are women in their 20’s, followed by straight couples in their 20’s and 30’s. Parents bring their young children, though mostly in father-daughter pairs. During my visit, a bored looking dad watched over his pre-adolescent daughter, who was desperately trying to get a white Persian to play with her. The cat had obviously perfected the Krav Maga of power napping in the presence of over-eager humans. Mother-daughter pairs tend to be adult daughters with middle aged to older mothers. Sons of any age, apparently, have no interests in cats. Seventy to eighty percent of the customers are women, and many of them are frequent visitors.

If you are curious about the sex practices of Japan, and interested in better understanding sexual subculutres there, the Cat Cafes are worth paying attention to. There’s a great deal in common between Cat Cafes and Hostess Bars, KyabaKura and other venues offering paid human companionship in Japan.

Hostess Bars and its younger hipper sister, the KyabaKura — short for “cabaret club”, are distinctly Japanese institutions, tracing its bastard ancestry to the rarified teahouses and their geishas in Edo period Japan. Essentially they’re drinking establishments where customers pay a big cover and exorbitant drink prices while attractive staff members sit with and keep them company. It’s not a brothel — there’s no sexual contact. It’s not even a topless or lap dance joint; so don’t expect to get your grind on. There are unspoken rules of conduct seemingly innately understood by the Japanese clientele. Grabbing and groping isn’t appreciated. There are separate establishments to serve all different interests, whether you’re a straight man, straight woman, gay or lesbian, into costume role-play, or BDSM. If, however, sex is what you want, you’ll have to go elsewhere. Many Westerners are confused by this and can’t figure out the point of the whole set up.

To understand the Cat Café is to understand the KyabaKura and it’s adult entertainment relations.

They all have a “shisutemu” or System, usually posted in the entrance or on their web site.

You are charged by the duration of stay in increments of time with a minimum required drink order. The Hapineko Café charged 525 Yen (approximately US$5) by the half hour with a one-drink minimum. KyabaKura charges are at least in the three digits range.

The cat café serves coffee, tea, soda with cookies, while the host and hostess bars serve up a full bar of high quality liquors.

Both cat cafes and KyabaKuras showcase their staff members’ portraits with chatty profile information on their websites and storefront marquee. Each venue has its specialty type of employees, whether purebreds or rescues, pretty boys or blingy party girls. Many cat cafes guarantee a minimum number of staff on hand. Same goes for the human clubs. They refer to the cats as staff.

If you want attention from the staff, you’ll need to play with them or feed them kibble. Same applies for human staff, but they prefer alcohol to cat food. Since outside food and toys are forbidden, you’ll have to buy them from the in-store menu. A tablespoon-sized bag of cat treats cost US$2 while a cocktail will easily set you back US$30 or more.

Some times the cats are all over you and sometimes they’ll ignore you, making you work to woo their attention. Sometimes the KyabaKura boys and girls seem totally into you, while some are famous for fussy and theatrical aloofness, increasing the perceived value of any attention the customer earns through the ritualized wooing process.

Most cat and human staff are known for providing the illusion of unconditional affection and patience, at least for the duration of your visit to their establishment.

Both provide the very real benefit of zero drama, zero strings attached, and no need for the messy reality of what it takes to maintain a full time relationship. Devotees of cat cafes never have to change a litter box, care for an ill or dying animal or discipline a couch shredder. Likewise, a host or hostess is always drama free, no fights, no emotional processing, and the patron has no need to actually understand their complexity and vulnerability.

The urban congestion and small living quarters of Tokyo make both home entertainment and cat ownership nearly impossible. Since most homes are too small to have house parties, majority of Tokyoites entertain out of their home. Hostess spaces provide not only the girlfriend hang-out experience, but guarantees hospitality to all, should you spend the evening with your friends, colleagues and entourage. The same residential condition makes it common for no-pet policies in rental units. The cat café provides a place to get your cat-fix and a homey space to entertain your friends.

In the end, it’s about the Japanese talent for creating pragmatic solutions to provide for the messy human need of companionship and intimacy, while helping to maintain the giant, mostly orderly and buzzing hive that is Japan.

For all the benefits of no-strings-attached professional feline and human companions during my travels, at the end of each journey it’s my four cats and spouse at home that I long for.

(Updated 2017 from the original essay written on 26 November 2010)

)

Midori

Written by

Midori

Artist. Educator. Foodie. Travel junkie. Crazy cat lady. Tea fiend. Eddoko, San Franciscan. Proud Hapa.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade