Pillow Talk Japan

Cat cafes are stretching beyond Japan

Neko cafes have been popular in Japan for about five years now. They look just like your typical cafe, with students ignoring schoolwork to watch YouTube videos, posers trying to convince others that they’re intelligent by reading Atlas Shrugged, guys making awkward advances at cute waitresses, and aspiring writers strategically directing the angle of their [...]

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Animal cafes spur public health concern

The trend began with so-called cat cafes, and there are now more than 120 establishments nationwide where people can enjoy the healing effects of being surrounded by animals such as dogs, birds, goats and rabbits. However, some shops have not registered as required with local governments, and experts are warning them to be aware that [...]

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Butler train tours make railways even sexier

First there were maid trains, and that was great. But now? Butler trains.  A butler café in Tokyo by the name of Swallowtail has partnered with the Kinki Nippon Tourist agency and started selling tickets for a "Butler’s Express" train service, very similar to the maid trains. The butlers catering to women and featuring pretty boys serving you [...]

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Stray observations on booming pet culture

Pets are big business these days. Cat and dog cafes, animal accessory shops, dog hotels and even aesthetic salons for animals are easy to find. On weekends, in the large park near my house, I see people walking what appear to be entrants in a pedigree dog competition: dachshunds in mini-sweaters promenade alongside beribboned King [...]

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In Tokyo, nothing is too good for your pet

Whether you’re looking for a birthday cake for your beagle, or oxygen therapy for your tabby, you can find countless ways to pamper your pet in Tokyo. Japan has become a nation of animal lovers. According to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association of Japan, the number of domestic cats and dogs in the country now [...]

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Crime rife at Net cafes that don’t require ID

Tokyo police are considering making it mandatory for Net cafe operators to ask customers to show identification after a survey found nearly 75 percent of crimes committed at cybercafes occurred at shops that did not check the ID of customers. Fewer than 40 percent of Net cafes in the capital ask their customers to show [...]

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Vitamin cafes: Japan’s latest health injection

In trendy neighborhoods of Tokyo customers are lining up for vitamin injections that promise to improve health and beauty. These intravenous vitamin “drips” are part of the latest quick-fix, health fad catching on in Japan: the I.V. cafe. Each drip pack contains saline solution and specific vitamins and minerals to target a particular health aliment [...]

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Japanese Dating Phrases for Cafes

Cafes are a popular option for first dates in japan, but what in the world do you say?  Start talking about penguins and bikini waxes and you’re sure to end up in the hot water.  But dont let your stupidity stop you! Try out these Japanese phrases for dating below and perhaps you too will [...]

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Takaso Yuichi Re-arrested

Sakai Noriko’s husband has been re-arrested in the couple’s ongoing drug case. The new arrest follows the discovery of amphetamines at Takaso Yuichi’s villa in the Chiba Prefecture beach town of Katsuura. It will likely lead to a stiffer prison sentence and puts extra pressure on Sakai to come clean. It has become increasingly clear [...]

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Knockdowns and Comebacks

Singer/songwriter Ayaka (21) was forced to drop out of a scheduled concert appearance at the weekend due to her ongoing medical problems. She has suffered from Graves’ disease, an immune disorder of the endocrine system known in Japan by the less common name of…

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