A Hedgehog Cafe Is Opening in Tokyo

1 minute read

Cat cafes are so last year.

Back in 2014, Japan spearheaded what would become a global trend—cat cafes, a place for patrons to drink coffee in the company of cats. Now, cat cafes are popping up across the United States from New York to Oakland. Japan, however, has moved on.

A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion

A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
This Year's ModelNina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
Simple, Yet ElegantNina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
Sorry, Did You Say Something?Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
The "Little Squirrel on the Prairie" LookNina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
Forever GinghamNina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
I Call This My "Going Visiting Dress"Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
Chill in the AirNina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
Can't a Squirrel Eat in Peace?Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
CPR: Cute Professional RodentNina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
Sharing Is CaringNina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
Too. Much. Starch. Can't. Breathe.Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
One Sample per Customer, PleaseNina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
A Clean Squirrel Is a Happy SquirrelNina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
Ahhhh. Warm Towels.Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream ... of Acorns ...Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

The Guardian reports that Tokyo is now getting its very own hedgehog cafe, where customers can pony up 1,000 yen ($9) on weekdays and 1,300 yen ($12) on holidays to carefully play and cuddle with the prickly yet adorable animals.

The cafe is called “Harry”—a play on the Japanese word for needle–and is fully stocked with 20 to 30 different breeds of hedgehogs for all your cuddling needs.

“We wanted to show people the charm of hedgehogs, which give the impression of being hard to handle. We wanted to get rid of that image by letting people touch them,” cafe worker Mizuki Murata told The Guardian. The cafe is already a hit, with an employee telling NBC News that there has been a line out the door since the cafe opened.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com