Felissimo released a new line of shiba inu slippers and handkerchiefs from their humorous brand YOU+MORE! on their website on November 26.

 

The slippers feature various shiba inu pulling adorable faces, with the sole parts made to look like their fluffy bellies. The handkerchiefs are made using appliqué needlework to stitch a variety of different pups onto them. The prints are so realistic you’ll find yourself wanting to stroke them.

The slippers come in three designs: Black Fur, Red Fur, and White Fur, all with loving faces looking up at you as you walk around the house.

The insoles are made with long and comfy boa fabric to create the fluffy underbelly of the dogs.

The gauze handkerchiefs come in six designs: Pomeranian, White Shiba, French Bulldog, Red Shiba, Golden Retriever, and Corgi.

The embroidered doggy designs are 3D textured, making you want to poke and stroke them all the time you’re holding them. The front part is made from gauze and the back from pile. One of each of the six designs will be released monthly over a period of six months.

If you love shiba inu, or know someone that does, this is the perfect gift!

Dance and vocal unit TEMPURA KIDZ―who have taken their boisterous personalities to 13 countries around the world―have just dropped a new song entitled Tapi Tapi in collaboration with French DJ and music producer Moe Shop.

 

This marks their second collaboration with Moe Shop, the first being the release of UKIYO back in June.

The bubble tea-inspired song takes on a future funk sound, a genre which Moe Shop is at the forefront of. The lyrics were written by singer-songwriter Aoi Yamazaki. It’s a colourful pop dance anthem littered with the TEMPURA KIDZ members’ unique character.

You’re sure to be humming the words “tapi tapi” along to this catchy tune in which the members sing positive things like, “Let’s drink tapioca and be happy” and “Something good’ll happen if you live life smiling.”

 

With the Olympics right around the corner, TEMPURA KIDZ are looking to continue their global activities to help spread Japanese culture to the world. Be sure to give Tapi Tapi a listen which is also available now on Spotify.

News photos of dance and vocal unit TEMPURA KIDZ have been released. The photos were taken under the supervision of the leader of Harajuku’s kawaii culture Sebastian Masuda.

 

It has also been announced that the group are set to perform at the KAWAII MONSTER CAFE in Harajuku every Wednesday for a new event aimed at foreign and locals tourists entitled TOKYO POP CULTURE NIGHT ~HARAJUKU CELEBRATION~.

The theme of this event is “Harajuku Tribe” which sees TEMPURA KIDZ dressed up in colourful tribe-like Harajuku wares in which they will put on a new performance called “Harajuku Celebration.” The group teamed up with French DJ and producer Moe Shop to create original music for the performance.

Both artists will release their collaborative track UKIYO on June 18. The song features a “Future Funk,” a genre which sees Moe Shop as its spearhead. It is a colourful pop anthem that fuses with TEMPURA KIDZ and the members’ personalities.。

 

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympics right around the corner, TEMPURA KIDZ continue their mission to spread Japanese culture around the world.

P→★ of Japanese pop dance and vocal group TEMPURA KIDZ loves animals, and this is his featured series in which he visits animal cafes around Tokyo. For diary entry No. 5, our P→★ heads to mipig cafe, Japan’s first ever micro pig cafe that opened in Meguro just last month.

Micro pigs are a super small type of pig bred in the UK through selective breeding. They are smaller than miniature pigs. The concept of the cafe is “A Backwoods For Micro Pigs.” The pigs are given a huge space to live and play around in. As soon as you enter the cafe they are there to greet you.

The building is four storeys high. Each floor has been made into a house for the micro pigs. The initial entry payment is ¥800 for 30 minutes and an extra ¥500 for every 30 minute extension. If you want a drink the prices start from ¥600. The cafe is very new and so is very popular right now, so if you’re looking to visit we recommend making a reservation in advance. It’s possible to get extensions on the day but you won’t be able to if lots of reservations have been made.

The pigs are very friendly with people. As soon as P→★ entered the room the pigs came right up to him. They climbed straight onto his lap.

They stayed in P→★’s arms the entire time without moving. Perhaps it’s because they feel safe and relaxed when embraced. P→★ was happy with it too: “I feel so peaceful♡. I want to stay here forever!” he announced.

Micro pigs aren’t their own species, they are mix of different species, so even if the piglets are born at the same, their size and colour will be completely different. The four pigs in the photos above are all 4-month-old siblings. Currently there are 10 micro pigs at the cafe. Pigs are tidy and very intelligent animals, so with enough practice they can be trained like dogs. There are pigs in the mipig cafe that can turn around and sit on command.

Since the pigs are so friendly with humans, one meeting is enough to have you captive and want to stay with them. They will stay close to you and not move so there’s plenty of opportunities for photos!

As well as drinks the cafe also serves food including cakes. They even serve “Tokusei Cheesecake” (¥850 before tax) from Hasegawa Minoru, a top dining restaurant in Japan. The restaurant is so popular that you have to make reservations up to 2 years in advance. And on weekends and holidays only the cafe sells 10 servings of their special “Pig Cake.”

It’s common in the US and UK for people to have pet pigs, but in Japan they’re still mostly regarded as domestic animals. mipig raises their micro pigs in a way like cats and dogs are in Japan. They are also in contact with farms in the UK and sell micro pigs too. Although they are called micro pigs they can weigh up to 40kg when fully grown. There is a floor in the cafe where you can see a grown up micro pig as shown in P→★’s photo above. Perhaps you can add a new member to your family too. But since the pigs are popular right now it could take over a year for you to receive one.

 

How did you find the mipig cafe, P→★?

“Of all the animal cafes I have been to so far this one was the most fun! It was fun being able have contact with them the entire time. Now I want a micro pig of my own! They don’t smell either, I could be with them forever. I wasn’t able to get an extension because there were a lot of reservations, so I recommend booking a long stay when you make one! And the cheesecake was super tasty too, so definitely be sure to try it yourself!”

If you’re in or planning a trip to Tokyo then be sure to get your reservations in for the newly-opened mipig cafe in Meguro ASAP!

 

 

Model: P→★（TEMPURA KIDZ）@0830_pika

Photo: Haruka  Yamamoto

Text: Sayoko Ishii

Translation: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga

Shiba Inu lovers can embrace their obsession even more now by getting their hands on the new double wall glasses which were released last month by glass brand GOODGLAS.

Your Shiba Inu comes in a choice of clear or brown, both of which sit snug inside the glass drinking vessels.

The clear version means you can customize the colour of your pup: pour in milk for a white Shiba or black coffee for a black Shiba. The brown glass means your cute glass will forever be a warm and adorable tea colour.

Glass products at GOODGLAS are all handmade and use the traditional glass blowing method. This means each and every glass is unique: your dog’s back may be a little bigger than the rest, it may have a longer torso, bigger ears and eyes and so on. This makes your Shiba Inu glass yours and yours alone.

 

The glass used is heat-resisting meaning you can enjoy sipping both hot and cold drinks.

P→★ of Japanese pop dance and vocal group TEMPURA KIDZ loves animals. This is the 3rd entry to his featured series in which he visits animal cafés around the city.

 

Ra.a.g.f in Harajuku was his destination this time around where he got to play with bunnies!

The café is just a 5-minute walk from Meiji Jingumae Station via Tokyo Metro lines, 8-minutes from Harajuku Station via the JR line, and within walking distance from all the lines at Shinjuku station, making it a perfect pit stop when sightseeing in Harajuku!

About 15 rabbits live in one room at the large apartment. You pick one that you think wants to play at let them roam around the room. The rule is that you let them out one at a time. They’re a territorial animal, so if you let two out they will pick quarrels, and if they’re male and female they will end up mating.

Pick a bunny from the cage that wants to play. It costs ¥800 for 30 minutes and ¥1,100 for 60 minutes – both options come with one drink. If you want to stay longer, it’s ¥550 per 30 minutes.

The first bunny P→★ picked was the floppy-eared Roko-kun, a male Holland Lop.

The rabbits seek out feed so if you use the food provided they will move closer to you. It’s ¥150 for a bunny snack. They have bad eyesight so it’s best to hold it close to their face. They also know their own names, so try calling out to a bunch of them.

Rabbits are predatory so they’re not good with being hugged. It’s strictly forbidden to hold the rabbits in the café, so guide them to your lap with the snack.

Roko-kun kindly came and sat on P→★’s lap! Rabbits hate being touched under the chin and on the belly, so when petting them make sure to do it gently from their heads down their backs.

They seem to be getting along nicely! “He’s cute, I want to keep him myself! So fluffy!” said P→★.

The next rabbit that P→★ met was the most handsome of the herd – Purittsu-kun, a male Netherland Dwarf. He’s the most popular in the café because he looks just like Peter Rabbit.

Purittsu-kun likes to run around people. It was like he was intending to play with P→★. He was in good health today.

His special skill is handshakes. Try shaking his hands too by timing it when he puts his forefeet up when giving him his snack.

The final bunny of the day is Rakuda-chan, a female mini Rex rabbit. She seems to be the most popular amongst foreign customers. She’s chubby around the chin and butt so she looks really fluffy.

She’s good with people so she jumped straight onto P→★’s lap!

Rakuda-chan also loves getting a massage from the customers! If  you pet her from her forehead down to her butt she’ll lie sprawled across the floor. She’s the only rabbit in the café that does this, so she’s got a lot of repeat customers!

P→★ was very satisfied having gotten to play with so many bunnies!

 

“When I was in elementary school I touched a lot of rabbits at Toby Zoo, so I’m super happy I got to pet a lot today! I was also surprised by how different it feels to touch a rabbit with long fur and one with short fur! Rakuda-chan is my favourite. She made me feel a lot better♡ “

There’s a lot of other rabbit breeds at Ra.a.g.f too. The kind staff there will show you how to play with them all. “The lady there was really interesting, she attended to the rabbits like she was a nursery school teacher! Be sure to try going there yourself!” said P→★.

 

You can also buy the rabbits on sale there and they also have a rabbit hotel. There’s even rabbit merchandise you can buy, so if you’re a lover of bunnies then you absolutely have to visit!

 

 

P→★ from TEMPURA KIDZ loves animals. This is his featured series in which he visits animal cafés in the city.

 

In this second entry, he made a trip to Owl’s Garden in Harajuku which houses not only owls, but hawks too!

The café can be found behind Tokyu Plaza, a very favourable location since you can stop by after shopping in Harajuku. It’s a 6-minute walk from Harajuku Station or a 2-minute walk from Meiji-Jingumae Station. Today, P→★ is wearing an outfit inspired by Harry Potter!

The café interior is styled on an English garden. There are 12 owls and hawks that live there. It’s full of natural light and greenery, making it a nice and comfortable place to relax.

There are several price plans. The Standard Plan is ¥1,500 which gets you 60 minutes inside. During that time, you’re free to touch the birds, take photos of them and sit them on your arm as much as you like.

P→★ met with the owls first. You can gently touch the top of their head down to their back as well as their chest. This owl is a Chaco Owl.

If you want to hold the birds just ask the staff. You’ll be given a glove to wear for the bird to sit on.

P→★ is now holding an American kestrel. This is the only falcon in the café. If you’re careful not to move your hand it will stay relaxed on your hand.

This is a barn owl. Apparently lots of customers are captivated by its striking face.

“This one’s so fluffy!” commented P→★.

P→★ was particularly interested in this Little Owl (that’s the actual name of the species!) Its tiny size is enough to tug your heartstrings♡

Owls save energy and don’t move around much, so they’re perfect for snapping photos of. That goes for selfies too.

Next is to try out being a falconer. There’s a number of cafés where you can come into contact with hawks but not that many where you can actually have one fly over to you, so some customers can spend several hours here.

You begin with your back against the wall and bring your hand up to the same height as your shoulders at the count of 3.

The hawk responded to the signal several meters way and flew right onto P→★’s hand.

 

It costs ¥500 for one turn which consists of two flights.

“It’s like I’ve become a wizard!” The bird that flew to P→★ is the Harris’s hawk. They are known for their intelligence. Hawks are often perceived as scary but they’re actually very friendly to humans.

You can enjoy a drink at this café while playing with the owls and hawks. If you make a reservation you get a drink on the house, otherwise it’s ¥100. It’s better to make a reservation if you’re planning to go there.

The earrings they sell there are popular. They’re made from feathers that have fallen from the owls at the café. Be sure to find the feather of the bird you like there the most. They also sell a range of other merchandise including a photo collection of the owls.

P→★ was very satisfied with his experience. It was his first time coming into contact with them, and his first time having a hawk fly to him.

 

“After watching Harry Potter, I wanted to own my own owl. It was a lot of fun interacting with them today. My image of hawks has changed too! If I’m rich in the future I want to have my own pet owl. Until then, I’ll be sure to come back here!”

P→★ sure enjoyed Owl’s Garden. The café is arranged in a way that makes it easy to take photos. The natural lighting and greenery make it a great choice for Instagram. Be sure to make a reservation if you’re interested.

 

Check out the time P→★ went to Harajuku Terrace Café in his first Animal Diary Café entry here.

 

You’ve seen cat cafés and owl cafés―now introducing the newly opened reptile café Raputoru (‘reptile’) in Kabukicho, Shinjuku.

Roll up to see over 100 snakes, as well as the giant tortoise, friendly monitor lizards, and a host of reptiles you’ve probably never seen before.

 

Here’s a small glimpse at some of the reptiles you can expect to see at the café.

Ball Python

The café has around 70 ball pythons on display which customers are able to touch.

 

Asian Water Monitor

The Asian water monitor inhabits locations across Asia. It’s a gentle and extremely smart lizard. You’ll be able to touch its head and body to feel the texture of its skin as well as feed it chicken.

 

Green Iguana (Albino)

The albino green iguana―a very rare species.

 

 

Aldabra Giant Tortoise

This splendid giant tortoise turns 33-years-old this year. He weighs 90kg and is undaunted by people riding him.

 

This is a must-see for reptile lovers. Enjoy your time there with family and friends!

 

I love animals!

 

This is P→★ from TEMPURA KIDZ and welcome to the first entry of my brand new series. I’ll be updating occasionally. What’s a better way to start a series than to make friends with some otters and hedgehogs in Harajuku? Today, I went to HARRY Harajuku Terrace café to do just that!

 

It’s not just what’s inside the café, but its location is also worthy of note – it’s just an 8-minute walk from JR Harajuku station and a 5-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Meiji-Jingu station, so it’s easy to drop by after a busy day of being a tourist. The wow-factor of this café is the three very sociable otters. This highly successful café draws in customers that come day after day, seeking the ultimate soothing feeling of bonding with their new friends.

 

All their faces look the same, but you can tell them apart by looking at their tails. The otter called Miku has a thin tail, whereas San has a thick one and Kirara has a flat one. Particularly Kirara is brimming with curiosity and is the one with whom you are mostly likely to interact, if you should pop by!

 

Full of excitement, the otters reached through the small hole in the tank to ask for food and toys. It was overwhelmingly cute. When they want a treat, they call out with their peculiar squeal. You can purchase snacks for them within the café. If you give them food, your friendship will grow increasingly stronger.

 

Otter snack prices:

First-time customers: ￥330 (price including tax)

Standard price: ￥540 (price including tax)

 

As the café name “HARRY” implies, the café has hedgehogs (harinezumi). The hedgehogs heal the tired hearts of all the café visitors. All the hedgehogs are friendly and rarely ever raise their quills at anyone, so you can touch them safely.

 

Even I can handle a hedgehog!

Even though hedgehogs are rather timid, they can still open their hearts to you! I can’t believe that we even touched noses to communicate! It’s amazing!

 

The café was once a pet shop that sold rabbits and other small animals. This is it’s first time running business as a café, and that’s why you can not only interact with the animals here, but also buy one to keep. The staff also provide important information on how to properly care for the animals and diseases to which they are prone. If you are interested, then please feel free to ask them any kind of question.

 

There are many other animals in the shop. This is a large French Lop rabbit. 3 months after birth, their bodyweight can even reach up to 7kg. Their droopy ears were so cute and their fur was so fluffy! I was filled with happiness.

 

…and there were even chinchillas.  They have fluffy tails and look so cute!

 

I approached them with some grass for them to snack on, and as soon as they saw me, they ran at me full of energy – we even got a photo together! As all the animals at this café are used to people, it’s easy to take pictures with them to upload on SNS websites!

 

The café has such a large variety of food for small animals that was quickly noticed by customers who were interested in buying a pet. You can ask the staff what type of food is appropriate for which animal.

 

I spent a lot of time surrounded by my favourite animals. I was particularly captured by the otters’ cute behaviour! HARRY Harajuku Terrace gives you the opportunity to freely interact with small animals – something that you can’t really do at a zoo or anywhere else. If you’re in Harajuku, how about stopping by? You may have to wait 30 minutes to enter the café if the store is closed. The café is very popular so I recommend that you reserve in advance!

 

A white oriental small-clawed otter came to “Kotsumeito,” an exotic animal shop located in East Ikebukuro.

This “white oriental small-clawed otter” which a very rare animal was sent to Japan from a breeding facility of white oriental small-clawed otters in Indonesia. The otter can be seen from around the 20^th of December.

 “Kotsumeito” is a place where you can have a great time with the white oriental small-clawed otter.

 

Let’s watch this animal’s cute movements by giving it a snack.

 

 

A baby penguin hatched from an egg and was born to the penguin pair who live in “Pengin no Iru BAR Ikebukuro”

The baby penguin was born only recently, so they can’t introduce the baby to their customers yet, but the baby is growing up strong and healthy they say. A video of the baby penguin will be released subsequently in the BAR and you can also watch this video on YouTube.

 

 “Penguin no Iru BAR Ikebukuro” which welcomed a new family member will offer a “Christmas course,” and has announced its year’s end/New Year’s holiday plans. The bar is going to be opened during the year’s end and New Year’s holidays.

 

Christmas course

The bar will offer a special plan from the 23^rd of December to the 25^th

It is a gorgeous plan which is recommended for those of you who want to spend a wonderful evening.

 

Year-end dinner party/New Year’s party plans

“Penguin no Iru BAR” will be opened during the year’s end/New Year’s holidays.

Why not enjoy a unique Year-end dinner party/New Year’s party?

 

 

The bar will be opened until 4 AM except for on the 31^st of December so it is recommended that you use this BAR for your after-party.

※The bar will be opened from the 4^th of January

Aside from the plans noted above, the bar will offer a cheap all-you-can-drink plan.

 

 

Hi, everyone! I’m AO from TEMPURA KIDZ!

We recently visited Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to perform at M-touch FES!

 

Japan is very cold right now, but it was over 30°c in Ho Chi Minh City!

The sun burned bright during the day. It was really hot, so it was like going back to summer.

 

This was our 3rd time going to Ho Chi Minh City, but one thing that’s always interesting to see is the number of motorbikes as pictured below.

There was a huge congestion of bikes on the roads, it was like rush hour in Japan!

 

I was surprised the first time I saw it because it’s not something you see in Japan.

We were caught in the congestion while traveling in the car, it was really amusing to see.

 

There were lots of bikes at M-touch FES too which meant lots of excited people!

A dance contest and outfit contest were also held at the event. There were people wearing anime costumes, and lots of Japanese songs were used for the dance contest. I saw once more just how Japan’s anime culture had spread to Vietnam.

 

There was even Japanese food at the booths!

From yakisoba to takoyaki.

People there looked like they really enjoyed the food.

 

All the Vietnamese people were so warm and in high spirits during the performance – they all sang together and put their hands in the air!

We went out with a bang at the end of a performance by collaborating with everyone in the Vietnamese music group P336band who we get along with for our song “LOLLi POP.”

I thought the crowd would be filled with people seeing us for the first time, but everybody came together as one and got really pumped up. It was so much fun!

We were invited to go to a tasty Japanese restaurant in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City is divided into “wards” kind of like Japan. We went to a restaurant called “EN” in ward 3.

Yay! It’s a sushi bar!!

 

Just as the name implies, the restaurant is themed around Japanese money (en/yen). The lunch mats looked like Japanese banknotes.

The yen mark (￥) was dotted around different places!

This is what menu looked like.

It was also written in Japanese, making it nice and easy to understand.

They had sushi that you don’t see often in Japan, like wakame.

My interest peaked now and then when looking over the menu.

 

 

It’s interesting to see how much Japanese food is priced overseas.

I took a look at the salmon which is my favourite kind of sushi, and…

It was 48,000 dongs which is ￥238 in Japanese yen.

The price is a little high if we’re talking about a Japanese conveyor belt sushi restaurant.

 

The standard price of sushi is difficult to measure, but this might actually be cheap when considering non-conveyor belt sushi!

 

 

Our combination plate sushi has arrived.

 

Ta-da!

 

I personally found the sushi in the middle to be delicious, the one with the most quantity.

If you’re wondering what was inside it, let’s take a look, starting at the top and working down.

 

Salmon roe

Salmon

Rice

Avacado

Rice

Tenkasu (crunchy deep-fried flour batter)

Rice

 

That’s how it was layered.

 

The salmon and avocado of course complemented each other well, and the crunchy tenkasu made the texture nice. It was the best.

 

 

As well as sushi they had mackerel…

…udon…

…sashimi combination plate…

…sea grapes…

…and so on. The Japanese food on the menu was lavish and everything was delicious!

If you visit Vietnam and want to eat sushi, then please try going to EN!

There were many signboards written in Japanese when walking around, and we were spoken to in Japanese at the market.

 

I felt how much the Vietnamese people had become familiar with Japan.

 

 

Although this was our third time in Vietnam, I’m happy I was able to get to know even more about the country again!

 

Until next time～