--- title: Japan Moss Viewing description: Next time you go on a hike, don’t stop to look at just rock formations, flowers and streams. Take some time to look at the... canonical: https://time.com/3974024/moss-viewing-japan/ author: Jacob Shamsian article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-27T21:23:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:18.461Z og:title: Staring at Moss Is an Actual Hobby in Japan og:description: Next time you go on a hike, don’t stop to look at just rock formations, flowers and streams. Take some time to look at the... og:url: https://time.com/3974024/moss-viewing-japan/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Staring at Moss Is an Actual Hobby in Japan twitter:description: Next time you go on a hike, don’t stop to look at just rock formations, flowers and streams. Take some time to look at the... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Staring at Moss Is an Actual Hobby in Japan > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ef21c3ba-b3bc-4db7-afee-0ee5b2ded8df&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Paying for Petting Time in Japan's Cat Cafes [Watch (HLS stream): Paying for Petting Time in Japan's Cat Cafes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HhzXsIjc.m3u8) (3:38)  _Published 2010-06-28. In Osaka, Japan, where many apartment dwellers aren't allowed to keep pets, cat fanciers spend time with their favorite felines at the Cats’ Time Cafe_ by [Jacob Shamsian](https://time.com/author/jacob-shamsian/) ## Jacob Shamsian Jul 27, 2015 9:23 PM UTC by [Jacob Shamsian](https://time.com/author/jacob-shamsian/) ## Jacob Shamsian Jul 27, 2015 9:23 PM UTC Next time you go on a hike, don’t stop to look at just rock formations, flowers and streams. Take some time to look at the moss as well. At least that’s what people in Japan are doing, anyway. The latest travelling trend in the country is moss-viewing. Japan is home to about 1,600 of 20,000 moss species, and many sites around the country feature lush, rolling carpets of the plant. Takeshi Ueno, a plant ecology professor interviewed for [The Japan _Times_](http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/27/national/moss-viewing-trips-catching-on-among-women/#.VbX17dJViko), often leads moss-viewing excursions in area around Lake Shirakoma, considered a “precious moss-covered forest” according to the Bryological Society of Japan. The trips are especially popular among women, according to Ueno. One participant on a moss-viewing expedition, Mari Sugiyama, said seeing clusters of mosses helped her forget about “competitive society.” “What I like (about mosses) is that they are surviving with toughness as they reach out for water and light,” she said. ## Transcript >> It's feeding time at Cats' Time Café, the most frenzied time of the day here at this café in one of Osaka, Japan's trendiest neighborhoods. But the café isn't for the cats. It's for cat fanciers like Michiko Otta. She comes weekly to pet and feed the 21 cats here. Like many Japanese apartment dwellers, she's not allowed to keep cats in her small apartment. -[ Foreign language ] >> When I come here, I feel like playing with the cats. And after that, I like to take my time and quietly observe the cats. It makes me feel relaxed and comfortable. >> Otta spends her days working in a metal factory, so her time at the café is a welcome break. Here, she says she can touch and feel warm fur instead of cold metal. >> Kichan, this cat here, is the most similar to me. >> The café charges ¥ 840, the equivalent of 9 U. S. dollars for an hour of cat- petting time. Otta usually spends three to four hours at the café. So, she buys the $ 16 entrance, which gets her unlimited time with the cats, plus a drink. Café owner Yoko Yoshida previously worked at a dog grooming shop, but her love of cats went out. She came up with the idea for the Cats' Time Café, called Neko no Jikan in Japanese, while sipping coffee at a comic book- themed café. -[ Foreign language ] >> It hit me. If cats were at this café, I would feel even more relaxed. I gathered lots of my favorite cats and opened this café. -[ Foreign language ] >> I felt like I made my dream come true. >> Yoshida opened Osaka's first cat café five years ago, and added a second branch last year. -[ Foreign language ] >> It was necessary for cat lovers to get out of their houses more, and touch cats and talk about cats with one another. >> These cats take their lounging duty seriously and spend much of the day sitting and sleeping wherever they want. -[ Foreign language ] >> Just looking at the cats is fun. Time goes by slowly here. >> If I pet them or hug them, I can lose my stress and I can get the energy. >> It's not only women who flock to the café. June Shirosaki says watching cats stroll about helps him forget the worries of his job. -[ Foreign language ] >> At the office, I always have to be aware of the people around me, which is stressful. But here, I can watch the cats living on the natural free world, and I can take it easy. >> The café occasionally draws foreign customers, like first- time visitor Igor Almeida of Brazil. >> It's different. It's-- you can interact with the cats. This is completely new. Here in Japan, I think there's an interesting love for cats that maybe we don't have. >> There are other types of animal cafés in Japan, including establishments with dogs, bunnies, and even birds. 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