Mr. Maeda, of Neko JaLaLa, started the cafe with a neighbor who shared his interest in increasing public awareness of cats, particularly strays. He explains that he hopes his little cafe is the first step in raising a larger awareness of cats in a country where about 240,000 are euthanized each year, partly as a result of pet dumping.

busy lifestyles of Japanese people dearly longing for a moment of peace and comfort.

"I always used to play with cats back home, but now I can't, since I live on my own," says Yuka Sato, a college student who came to cafe Neko no Mise in Tokyo's Machida region after a recent long day of job interviews. "I wish I could live together with cats like this."

"Basically, the visitors of this cafe are stressed," Mr. Hanada says of the escape his customers seek.

A little bit of serenity in a sea of madness, sounds like a nice place to be.

cool!

very cool, indeed!

i wanna go there!