XCVIII - Tokyo

An underpass near Shibuya station. Right behind that tree in the middle is the statue of the famous dog, chūken Hachikō (忠犬ハチ公, "the faithful Hachiko").

XCVII - Tokyo

...And one more!

It's the last one, I promise!

XCVI - Tokyo

... And another one.

XCV - Tokyo

Another view from my window.

XCIV - Tokyo

The spectacular Tokyo skyline as seen from my Shibuya hotel room one August evening.

XCIII - Tokyo

XCII - Tokyo

One of the beautiful kittens in the café, I believe this is the one named Matsuri (まつり).

XCI - Tokyo

The Shinjuku branch of Calico (or きゃりこ) Cat Café is located on the 6th floor of the Fuji Building on Yasukuni Dori; for those who want to visit, here's a handy map.

The entry fee is about ¥900 (7€), and allows you to relax in a room full of supercute kittens for an hour.

For those of you who are concerned about the welfare of the kitties, don't worry: there are strict rules of conduct for the customers.

Once you enter and pay the fee, you are handed a list of instructions which you must follow, including removing your shoes and bags, placing them in a locker, and sanitizing your hands.

Only then are you allowed in the presence of the cats, who will most probably be pretending to nap in the most improbable and difficult-to-reach places: another rule states that customers cannot disturb the cats if they are sleeping, cannot pick the cats up, and are only allowed to play with them and stroke them only if and when they are willing to. Children are not allowed in the café either. Fair enough.

Most of the cats when I visited were very little amused by all the people shaking feather wands in their direction hoping to attract them to come and play. They were quite comfortable napping away and allowing the occasional pat on their head, and who could blame them?

XC - Tokyo

Feline lovers have a tough time in Tokyo, since pets are forbidden in most of the tiny city apartments they have to live in.

So what are they to do to fulfill their cat cravings? Why, visit a Cat Café of course!

LXXXIX - Tokyo

Almost all Inari Shrines feature at least one kitsune (狐, "fox") statue, usually flanking the altar.

The foxes often hold symbolic items in their mouths or paws — jewels and keys, rice, scrolls, or fox cubs are all common to find. Many worshippers place small offerings (such as sake or rice) in front of the fox statues, since kitsune are believed to be messangers who can plead with Inari on their behalf.

LXXXVIII - Tokyo

A small Inari Shrine right in front of Hanazono-Jinja, Shinjuku.