In Japan’s big cities, small restaurants that serve coffee, called cafes, are known for starting trends. First there were pet cafes, then cat cafes. The latest trend in Japan is a cafe that has pigs. “It was wonderful. Very relaxing and enjoyable,” said Brad Loomis. He is a software engineer from the city of Pullman, in the U.S. state of Washington. He was talking about his recent visit to Tokyo’s Mipig Cafe with his 21-year-old daughter, Paige. On a recent morning in late January, the father and daughter were among many people in the cafe, smiling and taking selfies with the pigs. The pigs are very small. They move around the room, looking for a comfortable place. They are surprisingly quiet, making little snorts now and then. Unlike the stereotype, they are very clean and do not smell bad. The pigs do not like to be alone. So, this makes them good company for people. Customers pay $15 for the first 30 minutes of time with a pig. Customers must contact the cafe to set a time for the experience.
