It seems that there are always new themed cafes popping up somewhere in Tokyo these days, from cafes where you can play with animals, to collaborations with anime or popular mascots, cafes catering to specific hobbies or interests and cafes providing additional services. Themed cafes offer an entertaining and interesting experience, and provide a welcome change of pace from your neighborhood coffee shop. But with so many options available, which one do you try?

We've put together a list of the best themed cafes in Tokyo to help you make a decision.

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Animal Cafes

If there's one kind of cafe Japan seems to be famous for, it's cafes where you can spend time with your favorite animal. This is hardly an exhaustive list but here are our recommendations...

Cats

Nekoya

With two locations, one in Omiya and another one in Kawagoe, Saitama, you could say that Nekoya is an otaku cat cafe. The owners clearly have a love for Japanese fiction and pop culture, as they carry a manga library for visitors and frequently post pictures of their cat staff in very fitting cosplay.

Cafe Cat Mocha

Cat Mocha is what you could call a "high class cat cafe." Offering a luxurious and classy space, and with two shops respectively located in popular areas of Harajuku and Ikebukuro, they're a good option if you want to spend time with your favorite whiskered creatures but don't want to give up any creature comforts while doing so.

Hedgehogs

Harry

The name of the cafe sounds like something you might call your pet hedgehog, but it's actually a play on the Japanese word for hedgehog (ハリネズミ, hari-nezumi). If you can brave the long line of waiting customers, you'll also discover why this is as close to hedgehog paradise you're likely to find.

Chiku Chiku Cafe

The concept behind Chikuchiku Cafe (Japanese for "Prickly Cafe") can be explained with just one glance around the shop. The cafe houses a variety of hedgehogs residing in high-quality miniature dollhouses. There are ten themed-dollhouses, with styles such as "dining room", "bedroom", "bathroom", "garden", "Japanese style room", and "classroom".

Rabbits

Ra.a.g.f

This relaxing little cafe tucked away in the fashion district of Harajuku is named "Ra.a.g.f"--which stands for Rabbit and Grow Fat! Upon entering, you'll find a nice selection of adorable furballs waiting to be hugged.

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Anime and Character Collaborations

Pokémon Cafe

When the Pokémon Cafe opened this year in Nihombashi, Tokyo, fans around the world rejoiced. This is the first and, as of the time of writing, the only existing permanent Pokémon Cafe in the world. With Pikachu himself making regular appearances, a digital menu in multiple languages to make ordering a breeze, and theme-appropriate savory and sweet dishes of all kinds to delight your eyes and tickle your palate, it's the go-to spot for Pokémon fans. You can even enjoy the Pokémon Center DX on the same floor when you're done.

Pink Holiday Cafe

Pink Holiday Cafe, located in Yokohama, is decorated to be every Barbie-lover’s dream. Inspired by a Barbie dollhouse, the interior is pink from floor to ceiling with Barbie dolls and collectible items displayed throughout the space.

Kawaii Culture

Cafes which fully embrace the kawaii aesthetic show no sign of slowing down.

Kawaii Monster Cafe

The Kawaii Monster Café is the epitome of Harajuku fashion culture. Although on the surface it seems unbearably cute, everything has a slightly twisted underbelly. Ever popular with tourists and fashionable teenage girls, recently even Kim Kardashian made a visit.

Shangrila

Maid cafes are a popular staple, particularly around Akihabara, but the Marshmallow Maid Cafe Shangrila is Japan’s first plus-size maid cafe. “Marshmallow” is a term used to refer to plus-sized women in Japan, usually meant to be endearing.

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Special Staff

There are cafes that distinguish themselves by having staff members that cater to particular interests. Shangrila, above, could also be considered part of this category. There are two more we can also recommend, three, if you count robots as staff.

Muscle Cafe

At Muscle Cafe Tokyo, women can enjoy food and drink, but the main course is being lavished with attention by macho men and shown "Japanese hospitality" (omotenashi) through the power of ripped studs. Although not open all year, the organizers open the Muscle Cafe at major cities around Japan, including Tokyo on a regular basis, so you'll want to check their schedule.

Hen na Café

You’ve probably heard of the Hen na Hotel (Strange Hotel), the first hotel to be staffed entirely by robots including velociraptors at the front desk. After enjoyable considerable success, the hotel branched out to two more hotels in the Tokyo area and now a Hen na Café has opened in Shibuya. The café appears to have some staff to make sure everything runs smoothly, but the coffee is made completely by robots, ensuring good quality every time.

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Samurai and Ninjas

Partly in response to a renewed domestic interest in heroes and warriors from Japanese history and partly in response to the influx of foreign tourists, a number of cafes have popped up in recent years catering to such interests.

Touken Saryou

Touken Saryou is a cafe where you can admire masterpiece katanas with your meal. The swords behind the display cases are certified works of art by The Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords, so you know you're getting an authentic experience.

Ninja Cafe Kunoichi

For those who don't know, kunoichi is a term for female practitioners of ninjutsu, the ninja arts of espionage and warfare. The concept for Ninja Cafe Kunoichi is to combine a hands-on ninja experience with a Japanese style cafe in the popular tourist neighborhood of Shibuya. You can enjoy menu items created by kuonichi such as smoked dishes and sweets in a setting combining traditional Japanese and modern design elements in the cafe space, or participate in 1-day ninja workshops as well as shorter ninja experience sessions in the Kunoichi Dojo.

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Special Interests

Akiba Base Shooting Cafe & Bar

If your hobby is competitive airsoft, known as "survival games" in Japan, or if you just like to practice shooting with airsoft guns, you're going to love Akiba Base Shooting Cafe & Bar, a one-stop entertainment spot in for airsoft and gun enthusiasts located in Akihabara. With a cafe and dining area, complete bar and a shooting range, you can stop for coffee, a light meal, drinks at the bar and of course, shoot for fun, all at the same place.

Vampire Cafe

Serving up spooky dishes and cocktails containing eyeballs, fingers, and everything else you’d never want to put in your mouth (all fake, of course), the Vampire Cafe located in the ritzy neighborhood of Ginza nevertheless offers deliciously prepared casual French-Italian fusion food to gore and horror-loving eaters roaming the city.

Christon Cafe

Of all the themed cafes in Tokyo (of which there are many), Christon Cafe is possibly the strangest one. The restaurant located in Shinjuku is 'Christian church' themed. (It seems they haven’t specified a particular denomination.) The designers have taken a lot of artistic license concerning what is considered church-like, but the interior is pretty spectacular. Religious statues and paintings alongside generally gothic candlesticks and gargoyles, plus chandeliers and a sparkling disco ball.

Otera Cafe

Produced by Jyoenji, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Otera Cafe offers tasty but conventional Japanese sweets, and beverages. However, where it differs from other Japanese style cafes is you can order a Mini Sutra Set consisting of a small calligraphy set and a cup of coffee. Active Buddhist monks of the Jodoshu sect will give you advice and even talk about their belief system if you are interested in learning.