It goes without saying that Shibas are the most beloved breed of dog in Japan. From the Hachiko statue in Shibuya, to the many memes of them that have surfaced of them the internet, it’s no surprise that Mameshiba Cafe would be opened in Harajuku where many tourists and shoppers flock. Not being able to resist the urge of to pet these adorable dogs, my friend and I decided to go visit!
The cafe is quite popular now, but they have a well-organized ticketing system to make sure that everyone gets in. You go up the stairs, pay the entrance fee of 1350 yen (a little more expensive than other animal cafes, but perhaps these dogs cost more to take care of), then are handed a numbered ticket. We went on a crowded Saturday so we had to wait for 2 hours, but luckily we could go shopping and come back! The cafe is in central Takeshita Street so fortunately there are many things to do!
Though we only had 30 minutes to play with the dogs, the atmosphere was happy, relaxed, and you could see the dogs were too! You are able pet them and take non-flash photography, but you are not able to hold them. What’s interesting is all of the dogs were female. Mameshibas are shibas that are tinier than average, so that made them all the more cuter!
Taking pictures of them was hard because they move around so much, but it kind of like felt like playing Pokémon Snap! They had adorable huge plus shibas as well as keychains for sale. I would say I enjoyed this cafe more than other animal cafes, because sometimes the animals aren’t as social. Being with these doggos definitely boosted my mood, so if you have time, I think you should go!