在日本大阪市心齋橋地區的“美國村”，有一家名為“貓咪時光”的咖啡館。這家咖啡館的誘人之處不是口感上佳的咖啡，而是一群不尋常的“服務員”——貓?！柏堖鋾r光”是日本最早以貓為主題的寵物咖啡館之一，店內共有21只貓，包括一只體型龐大的緬因貓。這些貓咪通常慵懶地躺在墻邊的架子上，或者張開四肢趴在桌上。當有客人逗引它們時，它們會過來和客人玩耍?？Х瑞^的樓上還有專門的房間供貓咪們休息。據介紹，“貓咪時光”按時間收費，入店每小時收費840日元，如果包含飲品則為1050日元?？Х瑞^的主人表示，希望光顧的客人能夠在貓咪的陪伴下得到片刻放松。

The cafe, named "Neko no Jikan," which can be translated as cats' time, is one of Japan's original cat cafes and is home to 21 felines, including a Maine Coon, a breed known for its large size.

Nestled among the bars and trendy clothing outlets of the "America mura" section of Osaka's Minami district is a cafe whose primary attraction is not the quality of its coffee but the charms of its somewhat unconventional "staff."

The cafe, named "Neko no Jikan," which can be translated as cats' time, is one of the country's original cat cafes and is home to 21 felines, including a Maine Coon, a breed known for its large size.

Believed to have originated in Taiwan, cat cafes are establishments where cats are let loose indoors for customers to interact with.

Some of the cats at Neko no Jikan come to customers when called, while others sit or lie on the shelves lining the cafe's walls. Others still are stretched out on tables.

The shop is run by Yoko Yoshida, 53, who became the trailblazer for cat teahouses when she opened her first shop in Osaka's Kita Ward in 2005, when dog cafes were at the height of popularity in Japan.

America mura is in the busy Minami district straddling the city's Chuo and Naniwa wards. The name reportedly spread after a store converted from a warehouse started selling second-hand American records and sundries from the West Coast of the United States in the 1970s.

The ambience of the tea shop is quiet except for cats' occasional mews. Managed on a time-limit basis, Neko no Jikan charges 840 yen an hour and 1,050 yen with a drink.

At a cat "cafe," the emphasis is not on food and beverages but relaxing in the company of cats.

Yoshida said she wants customers to enter the cats' "space" in order to achieve relaxation.

Yoshida said not all customers are obvious cat lovers who like to play with the animals or feed them. Many come in business suits and appear like patrons of any other cafe.

Shop manager Junichi Sakai, 39, describes the 21 felines in the cafe as his "staff," adding they take a rest in a separate room on the second floor "when they are tired."

Yoshida said she plans to move her first cat cafe out of Kita Ward in the fall to utilize the vacated space as a genuine "cat house" with a tatami mattress floor.

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(Agencies)

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）