Kawaii culture is huge in Japan! If you’ve been following our blogs, then you probably know that kawaii superstars like Cinnamoroll and Hello Kitty don’t just get special merch - sometimes they get their own trains, hotel rooms, and even their very own cafes. These character cafes not only have the cutest decor but they also a kawaii menu inspired by the characters. It's the perfect place for kawaii fans to chill and relax!
As lovers of all things kawaii, we’ve been to almost every character cafe in Japan. All of them are pretty cute, but some are better than others. Put on your cutest outfit because today we’re going on a cafe-hopping adventure. Here’s our list of the top 5 character cafes in Japan and the pros and cons of each one!
5. CHIIKAWA CAFE
Kawaii Cafe Rating: 💖💖💖💖🤍
Reservation Difficulty: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Price Range: JPY 1,100～JPY 1,980 / $7.16 - $12.89
Located at the Parco Shopping Mall in Ikebukuro Japan, the Chiikawa Cafe is a permanent character cafe hosted by THE GUEST CAFE & Diner. Following the concept of a “family restaurant,” the Chiikawa Cafe features characters from the Nanka Chiisakute Kawaii Yatsu manga of Nagano (including Chiikawa, of course) all dressed up as diner employees.
It’s a really cute cafe with original Chiikawa Restaurant illustrations! There’s a lot to order on the menu with yummy Chiikawa goodies like the “Hachiware Fried Egg Hamburger Set,” and the “Second-Generation Head Chef’s Whimsical Dessert Plate.” The Chiikawa Cafe is definitely a must-visit for any kawaii fan!
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Location: Ikebukuro Parco Main Building 7F, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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Opening Hours: 11:00 AM - 9:30 PM
PROS
The Chiikawa Cafe decorations are downright cute! Not only do fans get to see original illustrations of the Chiikawa cuties dressed up as restaurant employees, but there are television displays of manga panels too. The cuteness of the Chiikawa Cafe is top-tier!
The cafe doesn’t skimp out on the kawaii levels of its food either. Unlike some character cafes which just slap on edible stickers to the meals, the Chiikawa Cafe designs its food to look just like the Chiikawa cuties. Some of the standout treats include the grass matcha tiramisu, the Chiikawa marshmallow coffee, and the Hachiware ice cream sandwich!
CONS
The Chiikawa Cafe is a pretty neat character cafe. The food is delicious and the ambiance is great! However, one of the biggest downsides is that it can be really difficult to make a reservation at the cafe. Fans have to apply for a lottery just to get a CHANCE to nab a reservation.
When you win the lottery, you have to go to a Lawson convenience store in Japan, get a voucher from a machine, take it to a person at a desk, download an app, and wait for 6 days to get a reservation. In terms of difficult kawaii quests, getting a reservation at the Chiikawa Cafe is a level 10/10. But if you really love Chiikawa, then no feat is too difficult!
4. CINNAMOROLL CAFE
Kawaii Cafe Rating: 💖💖💖💖🤍
Reservation Difficulty: 🖤🖤🤍🤍🤍
Price Range: JPY 600～JPY 1,870 / $3.91 - $12.18
Cinnamoroll is one of the most popular Sanrio characters ever with his floppy ears and his cute cinnamon roll-shaped tail! Because he’s so loved in the kawaii community, Cinnamoroll doesn’t just have one cafe in Japan - he has two. One is in Shinjuku, Tokyo and the other one is in Osaka.
Without a doubt, the best one is in Osaka! It has three floors of major Cinnamoroll cuteness and it serves super kawaii Cinnamoroll-themed food, drinks, and desserts. While the Tokyo branch might be the most accessible one, a trip to the Osaka branch of the Cinnamoroll Cafe is definitely worth it.
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Location: 1 Chome-5-14 Namba, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Japan
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Opening Hours: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
PROS
One of the biggest pros of the Cinnamoroll Cafe is its design and its atmosphere. Three floors of Cinnamoroll cuteness is unbelievable! While the first and second floors are also super kawaii, the third floor has the “Special Room” with 3D designs popping out of the wall and a special photo op area for fans to take pictures. The staff in the Osaka Cinnamoroll Cafe are all really friendly and relaxed!
Another major pro of the Cinnamoroll Cafe is how great the food is! Each dish is super duper tasty, and they’re all made to look like Cinnamoroll! The curry rice is made to look like Cinnamoroll, the pancakes are made to look like Cinnamoroll, and even the omelet is made to look like Cinnamoroll sleeping. There's also fun Cinnamoroll merch to collect!
CONS
The only downside to the Cinnamoroll Cafe is its menu. There aren’t that many dishes, desserts, and drinks to choose from in the Cinnamoroll Cafe in Osaka. Though it’s a bit disappointing that there aren’t that many items on the menu to choose from, the cafe certainly does make up for it with its tastiness and its level of cuteness!
3. POKEMON CAFE
Kawaii Cafe Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖
Reservation Difficulty: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🤍
Price Range: JPY 715～JPY 3,795 / $4.66 - $24.71
There are two Pokemon Cafes in Japan, one in Osaka and one in Tokyo. Both of the Pokemon Cafe branches have the cutest Pokemon decors ranging from illustrations, statues, giant Pokemon plushies. All of the dishes in the cafes are Pokemon-themed and they look downright adorable!
Because of its design, menu, and atmosphere, the Pokemon Cafe has become one of the most popular character cafes in Japan. From the meals to the drinks and to the desserts to cute Pokemon merch - you just want to have them all!
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Location: Nihombashi Takashimaya S.C. East Building, Tokyo, Chuo City, Japan
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Opening Hours: 10:30 AM - 10:00 PM
PROS
The Pokemon Cafe’s atmosphere is next level! Not only does the cafe have giant Pikachu plushies, but they have impressive Pokemon statues too. The cafe also hosts cute Pikachu mascot performances to entertain guests. Imagine sipping on a Snorlax latte while watching Pikachu do a kawaii little dance for you!
Another major pro of the Pokemon Cafe is its extensive menu. There’s just a whole lot of dishes to choose from! The Pokemon Cafe offers a smorgasbord of Pokemon treats to try out - from the Pikachu curry, the Gengar Smoothie, the Pokeball cake, to the healthy Eevee plate. Plus, the cafe also offers limited-edition items from time to time depending on the season in Japan.
CONS
The only downside of the Pokemon Cafe is that it can be a bit difficult to get a reservation to the place. Though it’s not as hard as reserving the Chiikawa cafe, it can be a bit tricky. You have to wait on The Pokemon Cafe website for reservations to open up and then book the place before anyone else! Be warned, you’ve got to be quick because reservations can get booked really fast!
Another con to the Pokemon Cafe is its price point. Everything in the cafe tends to be a bit on the pricey side with the meals going for more than 2000 yen or $12. The cheapest item on the menu is the hot/ cold cocoa which costs around 715 yen or $4.66. Limited edition items can get really, really expensive going around 3000 to 4000 yen or $20 to $26. That’s a lot of money, really.
PRO TIP
If you’re having a hard time getting a reservation at the Pokemon Cafe, you can find people online who’ll sell their reservations to you. They can sell the bookings at a pretty hefty price though, so we suggest that you try to get a reservation yourself first! Buying reservations from other people should be the last option.
2. KIRBY CAFE
Kawaii Cafe Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖
Reservation Difficulty: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🤍
Price Range: JPY 748～JPY 3,278 / $4.87 - $21.34
Located in Tokyo Solomachi, the home of Japan’s famous Tokyo Skytree, the Kirby Cafe is one of the top permanent character cafes to visit! Like the Pokemon Cafe, this super cute character cafe has an amazing atmosphere with stunning decorations.
The cafe revolves entirely around Kirby, the loveable defender of Dreamland! Knowing how the videogame star loves sucking in food, the dishes at the cafe are all made to be cute, creative, and downright delicious. Like Kirby you could just suck everything into your mouth with one single breath.
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Location: Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi, 1-1-2 Oshiage, Tokyo.
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Opening Hours: 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
PROS
One of the biggest pros of the Kirby Cafe Tokyo is its relaxed, kawaii atmosphere. The entire place is super duper cute! There are giant plushies with interactive decors for photo ops, big Kirby statues, and kawaii accents like Kirby picture frames. Since the cafe is located in the Skytree area, you always feel like you’re on vacation when you visit the place. The Kirby cafe is also known to change its theme depending on the season so you’re always in for a kawaii surprise!
There’s also the food at the Kirby Cafe. Everything in the menu is super kawaii and creative. There are unique dishes like Waddle Dee’s butt and interactive drinks like Dr. Kirby's Secret Research Kit which lets you mix together liquids to create a delicious soda. Everything in the cafe is served using cute Kirby cutlery. There are Kirby-shaped plates, mugs, spoons, forks, you name it!
This leads us to another great thing about the Kirby Cafe - you can actually buy the cutlery at the gift shop in the cafe! Some of the standout Kirby merchandise are the Cottage Cheese dish which looks like an actual slice of cheese, the Suction Salad bowl which looks just like Kirby getting ready to suck in tons of food, and the Car-Filled plate which looks like Kirby transformed into a car.
CONS
Like the Pokemon Cafe, reserving a spot in the Kirby Cafe Tokyo can take a lot of work. You have to go online a month in advance on the 10th and be ready to reserve your spot. There are a lot of bots so nabbing one online can be really difficult! Luckily, you can use that pro-tip we mentioned before which is to buy the reservation from someone else who already has it. It’s a cheat code that only a few people know!
Another con of the Kirby Cafe is the strange little rules. You can modify the menu at the cafe (eg requesting the pizza have no cheese), but you’re not really allowed to post pictures of the items on social media. Some items on the menu are also limited to one order per table like the Henkei! Car-Filled Cake. We’re not sure why that’s a rule, but well, rules are the rules.
1. POMPOMPURIN CAFE
Kawaii Cafe Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖
Reservation Difficulty: 🖤🤍🤍🤍🤍
Price Range: JPY 770～JPY 3,400 / $5.01 - $22.14
We’re finally at the number one character cafe in all of Japan, and it’s tantatadan, the Pompompurin Cafe. Pompompurin is one of the most popular puppies from Sanrio next to Cinnamoroll, and he has hands-down the cutest permanent cafe in all of Japan. According to Sanrio, Pompompurin designed the cafe himself so that his friends could enjoy spending time with him!
Located in Cute Cube Harakuju in Takeshita-dori in Tokyo, the Pompompurin Cafe is decked with major cuteness not just inside but outside as well. The cafe is super accessible, there are a lot of delicious items on the menu, and making reservations is easy-peasy! It’s definitely the top character cafe to go to in Japan!
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Location: 1-7-1 Jingumae 3F Cute Cube Harajuku, Shibuya, Japan
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Opening Hours: 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
PROS
The Pompompurin Cafe has so many pros to it! Located in Harajuku in Tokyo, the cafe is super accessible to kawaii fanatics from all over. The entire space is soooo cute, inside, and even outside the cafe! Sanrio paid a lot of attention to detail when designing the space. There are giant statues of Pompompurin and his friends, 3D Pompompurin decors bouncing off the walls, Pompompurin butthole chairs, Pompompurin lamps, and the best part, nearly a hundred Pompompurin plushies to play with!
The atmosphere of the Pompompurin Cafe is also pretty top-tier. Not only are the staff dressed in Pompompurin style with cute dresses and Pompompurin dog ears, but they’re also super duper relaxed. They let you take photos all around the cafe and check out all the different decors. The cafe also plays Pompompurin music to add to the kawaii ambiance of the place!
Okay, now that we’ve talked about the decor and the ambiance, we’ve got to get to the tasty part - the food at the Pompompurin Cafe! There are a lot of options to choose from and everything is just downright delicious. There are tasty meals like the Dreamy Souffle Omurice which has Pompompurin lying underneath an omelet blanket, drinks like Puirin-kun's Tropical Mango Lassi, and desserts like a Twinkling Pompompurin Mango Parfait.
Eating at the Pompompurin Cafe is a 5-star kawaii cafe dining experience but what'seven color is that the cafe has Pompompurin merchandise. These items are pretty hard to find since they can't be found anywhere else in Japan but the cafe. You also have to have a meal at the cafe before they let you get your hands on the goods!
The best part of the Pompompurin Cafe is the reservations! There’s really no need to make a reservation at Pompompurin’s chill cafe, and if you do need to make one, it’s super easy to make. You can also visit the cafe at almost any time because they take in walk-in customers and the lines aren’t too long for you to wait.
CONS
The Pompompurin Cafe doesn’t have any major cons to it! The only slight issue is the fact that the cafe doesn’t really have any pudding in its menu except from the tiny little pudding decor sitting on the donuts! Pudding is Pompompurin’s favorite food in the whole world. It seems like a big mistake not to have pudding in the menu at the Pompompurin Cafe.
Alright, there you have it! Those are the top 5 best character cafes in all of Japan. We started off with the Chiikawa Cafe and its funny manga panels and then ended with the Pompompurin Cafe in Harajuku with its perfect ambiance, decor, and menu. Though each cafe has its pros and cons, they're all worth visiting as a fan of all things kawaii!
Did you enjoy cafe-hopping with us today? Which cafe would you like to visit the most? Is it the Pokemon cafe with its dancing Pikachu? Or maybe it's the Cinnamoroll Cafe in Osaka with its three floors of cafe cuteness? Don't be shy and chat with us in the comment section below.