Coffee, Tea, and Rabbits
After our adventures in paperwork earlier that day, we walked over to Shibuya and looked for Ra.a.g.f (which stands for Rabbit and grow fat), a rabbit cafe, which is exactly what it sounds like.
The place was not all that easy to find (especially if you’re not used to Japanese addresses). Even with Google Maps, I’m not sure we would have found it if there hadn’t been a sign in the street.
I'm not sure, but I think its around here somewhere.
Ra.a.g.f was on the third floor, right across the hall from the Choosy Cat Cafe (which was closed while we were there). The place, like so many businesses in Tokyo, was small. They only have three tables, and they were full up with rabbit lovers when we showed up unannounced. So we made an appointment for their next available opening at 4:30. Like most places we visited in Tokyo, a reservation might be a good idea.
We had about an hour before rabbit-time, so we wandered around this part of town, which was a pretty happening shopping district (although most of our time was spent at Kiddy Land) until it was time to head back and pet some rabbits.
To enjoy your time among the bunnies, it will cost you ¥700 for 30 minutes or ¥1,100 for 60 minutes and you can extend your playtime for ¥550 for 30 minutes (availability of this option depends on how busy they are). The price of admission includes a drink for the humans, and I think that includes free refills, though we didn't put this to the test.
The human drinks are served with these cute little drink covers.
You can also buy a small bowl of rabbit snacks (slices of carrot, apple, and assorted greens) for ¥150 to hand-feed the rabbits. If you want some rabbit snuggling, this is a good idea, because the rabbits tend to be more interested in the humans who have food for them.
A bowl of rabbit snacks.
There are 17 rabbits at Ra.a.g.f., and you can to select a rabbit to play with, but only one at a time (so they don’t fight or mate). And once you make your selection, you can’t swap it out for a new rabbit for at least 15 minutes so the rabbits don't get stressed out.
Choosing the right rabbit is a daunting task.
Because we had an hour booked, we’d get to play with four different rabbits, and here are the four we selected.
Rabbit #1
Not interested in this carrot.
We weren’t given this rabbit's name, but it was an albino bunny that was more interested in escaping than eating.
Rabbit #2
I'll stay here as long as you keep feeding me.
This one was named Rakuda (which means camel). It was very happy to sit on a lap, provided that the food kept coming. Its coat was very soft.
More, please.
Rabbit #3
A nice rabbit.
We didn't get the name of this one, either. But it was a pretty docile bunny, good for snuggling. It was very soft.
Rabbit #4
Ushi liked carrots.
Our last rabbit was named Ushi (which means cow). Ushi had a good amount of energy and liked to grab some food and retreat to a corner to eat it.
Caged Rabbits
You can also pet the rabbits in their cages. Again, you can only pet one at a time, but the number of rabbits you can pet is only limited by your tolerance for petting rabbits.
The Biggest Rabbit
Big bunny.
The biggest rabbit at Ra.a.g.f was this fella, who weighed in at 6 kg and had a cage twice as big as the other bunnies. We didn’t play with him because he was “on break.”
The other thing to know about rabbits is that they poop a lot. We spent a good portion of our time there dodging rabbit pellets. Fortunately, one of the two ladies who cared for the rabbits was usually there to sweep up the messes.
After we were done at Ra.a.g.f, it was time for dinner. I suggested rabbit, but that didn’t go over too well. So we had hamburger steak instead.
Tom Fassbender is a writer of things with a strong adventurous streak. He also drinks coffee.
