2011 is the Year of the Rabbit and also the fortieth anniversary of Japanese debut of the character Peter Rabbit, much loved by locals. On top of the expected bunny-themed New Year Cards there are some other manifestations of the year’s animal making the news at the moment.
Shibuya Usagi (Shibuya Rabbit) is a bar and restaurant in Tokyo serving tapas and other cuisine that you can partly pay for using special currency called “Usagi Coins” (Rabbit Coins). Regular customers are awarded the bunny-decorated money and can then exchange them on later visits for discounts on certain menu items. If they can bear to part with the cute coins, that is.
[Images via WalkerPlus]
You might have heard about cat cafés in Japan but what about an Usagi Café? Inside customers can enjoy their drinks and snacks alongside 11 rabbits, including the inevitable Peter Rabbit-esque breeds. This new café in Yokohama does not actually seem to be the first of its kind, with similar rabbit cafés in Nagoya, Tokyo and Kamakura at least, where patrons can bring their own bunnies or play with other furry friends while enjoying a cup of tea.
[Images via WalkerPlus and Yokohama Keizai Shimbun]
The Usagi Café is only open on weekends and holidays, costing from 800 yen (about $9.60) for 30 minutes (including a drink). It is actually a kind of section inside a regular cat café (Neko Café) and during the week feline-loving patrons can play with the bunnies for an extra charge.
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