Pigs At This Cafe In Tokyo Are Called “Buta-San,” And They Trot Around Looking For Pets

Oink oink, do you care for a pig-ture perfect cup of coffee while cozying up to an adorable piglet? Then, it’s time to smash your piggy bank and fly to Japan to visit this pig cafe.

For 2,200 yen ($15), customers get to spend at least 30 minutes in the company of cute little pigs at Tokyo’s Mipig Café. Due to its a-boar-able and popular nature, a reservation is required before showing up.

Brad Loomis, a software engineer from Pullman, Washington, visited the capital’s unique coffee place with his 21-year-old daughter, Paige. He told AP News: “It was wonderful. Very relaxing and enjoyable.”

For 2,200 yen ($15), customers get to spend at least 30 minutes in the company of cute little pigs at Tokyo’s Mipig Café

Image credits: Mipig cafe

Image credits: Mipig cafe

They were among dozens of customers on a recent morning at the cafe, taking selfies and breaking into huge smiles. The pigs, a miniature breed, trotted about the room, looking for a cozy lap to cuddle up in.

The pigs are surprisingly quiet, although they do snort now and then. They don’t like to be alone, making for great companionship. Unlike the stereotype, they’re very clean and don’t smell.

Pigs at the cafe are referred to as “buta-san.” “Buta” is the Japanese word for pig or swine. According to the Japanese Consulting Office, in Japanese business life, a surname is always followed by the honorific suffix “san” (meaning “dear” or actually “honorable Mr./Ms.”).

Unlike the stereotype, the pigs are very clean and don’t smell

Image credits: Mipig cafe

Image credits: filmbykt

@filmbyktPig cafe = new therapy♬ original sound – notYero

Shiho Kitagawa, an executive at Mipig, said: “Each pig is unique. Each one has his or her own personality. 

“You may notice one may be strong-headed, and another may be gentle.”

Shiho has a point. According to the Humane Society of the United States, pigs are gentle creatures with surprising intelligence. Studies have found they’re smarter than dogs and even three-year-old children. In the wild, pigs form small groups that typically include a few sows (female pigs) and their piglets.

“You may notice one may be strong-headed, and another may be gentle,” Shiho Kitagawa, an executive at Mipig, said

Image credits: haleyandzach_

The Mipig Café is located in the fashionable street of Harajuku and is among 10 such pig cafes the operator has opened around Japan. The first one opened in Tokyo in 2019. 

Pig lovers will be pleased to learn that two more pig cafes are in the works for later this year, AP News reported.

The animals trotting around Mipig are known as “micropigs,” and they don’t get bigger than a corgi dog, even as adults. The cafes also feature adorable baby pigs the size of toy poodles, as per AP News.

Image credits: haleyandzach_

Should a person become particularly fond of one of these charming beings, they can purchase one for about 200,000 yen ($1,350) from Mipig.

The pigs there have reportedly already been toilet-trained and are used to being with people. Micropig food is also for sale at the venue. So far, 1,300 pig lovers have found their new best friend at Mipig.

Sophie Mo’unga, a tourist from New Zealand in Japan with her husband and two children, said: “They were cute. I think they were all keeping each other warm.”

Pigs are gentle creatures with surprising intelligence, and studies have found they’re smarter than dogs and even three-year-old children

Image credits: haleyandzach_

@haleyandzach_ playing with pigs in Tokyo! #japan #japantravel #travelingjapan #visitjapan #tokyo #harajuku #mipigcafe #pigcafe #uniquecafe ♬ original sound – Haley and Zach | Budget Travel

On Google, people have been flooding Mipig’s address with positive reviews, as one read: “There are pigs here. Lots of pigs. These pigs REALLY want to sit in your lap.” 

“The big pigs seem to like little people, and the little pigs like big people.”

“The pigs squabble sometimes, but the staff are quick to break it up.”

“The pigs aren’t aggressive towards people.”

“There are sometimes messes, but the staff are good at dealing with them.”

The Mipig Café is located in the fashionable street of Harajuku and is among 10 such pig cafes the operator has opened around Japan

@haleyandzach_ playing with a capybara in Tokyo! #japan #visitjapan #japancafe #travel #travelcouple #travelcouplelife #animal #uniqueanimal #capybara ♬ original sound – Haley and Zach | Budget Travel

The pig cafe is the latest in a series of animal coffee shops that have popped up in Japan, including ones that feature owls, hedgehogs, birds, and even snakes, AP News reported.

Despite the cuteness overload customers may experience while visiting these types of venues, some people have raised ethical questions. 

Sachiko Azuma, head of Tokyo-based PEACE, which stands for Put an End to Animal Cruelty and Exploitation, told AP News: “It must be stressful to be touched and fondled by a bunch of strangers.

“The animals have become tools for a money-making business,” she said.

@gisellee.lopezz my first animal cafe experience in japan! 💓🦔 #japan #tokyo #harryharajuku #harryharajukucafe #harajuku #japantiktok #japantrip #japanlife #japantravel #tokyotravel #ottercafe #hedgehogcafe ♬ How`s Your Day – aAp Vision

Nevertheless, Sachiko-approved cafes are run by shelters trying to find owners for abandoned pets.

Mipig’s official website indicates that the pigs get rest “according to the compatibility with each pig, physical strength, and health condition.” 

It further notes: “Our staff always check the micropigs, and when they feel tired or [there is] any change in physical condition, they take a rest in a separate room.”

The animals trotting around Mipig are known as “micropigs,” and they don’t get bigger than a corgi dog, even as adults

@melbfoodieee honey-chan was the sleepiest, cutest hedgehog ever 🤧💞 📍 Hedgehog Cafe & Pet Store HARRY Harajuku #hedgehog #hedgehogcafe #japan #traveljapan #hedgehogs ♬ Rainy Days X Animal Crossing – ViBES

Dr. Bruce Kornreich, professor of clinical sciences at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York, USA, said interacting with animals can lower one’s blood pressure and reduce headaches and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

He also said: “How they do these things, I’m not sure we know the answer.” 

People had many different opinions regarding Mipig

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!