Japan Day 6: Yokohama Cat Cafe and Noodle Museum!

On my last day in Japan we packed in a Cat Cafe and  Noodle Museum. Yes, you read that right. I went to a cafe to pet cats. They have things like that in Japan!!It wasn’t quite as amazing as I had imagined it up in my brain. Many of the cats are rescues, which is a super amazing great thing, but they are also a bit over-stimulated and preoccupied with each other and their territorial issues than the vision of fuzzy, purring goodness that I pictured wanting to curl up in my lap. But it was still really great to be stuck in a room with about 30 cats. They served coffee and tea and as much cat hair as you’d like. It was fun. Many of the cats were chill and a couple were kittens that wanted to play. So we did that a while. My favorite cat was the one with bent down ears. I almost wanted to smuggle him back home with me on the airplane. But then again I already have enough cat problems.We walked a little in downtown Yokohama. I’m sure you’ll appreciate Elliora’s happy demeanor in the photo below. You know how kids can be: delightful until their tired or hungry. I think she was both. We did walk a lot.You know. Trains, subways and all that. I am getting more and more comfortable with the public transportation but it’s always a little harder on the kids.Then we walked to the Cupnoodles Museum. Here in the states we call it Cup o’ Noodles but in Japan it’s just Cupnoodles.It was a really interesting space. I didn’t read all the inscriptions but instead just wandered aimlessly admiring the minimalist architecture. It felt a lot like The Getty.Of course packaging design always fascinates me. The Japanese excel at it.I loved all the noodle inspired art. Especially this wired noodle sculpture installation. Isn’t it cool?
Then, speaking of packaging design, we designed our own Cup of Noodles! They had the best pens.This was my favorite part of the museum. I could have designed dozens more but they only allow one each and you have to make an appointment to do it.Then when you are done decorating you get to choose what kind of ramen you put inside. They have curry and regular flavor, fish and some other things. You can add toppings (freeze-dried vegetables etc) and even little cornstarch chicken faces that dissolve in your soup when you make it later. When you are done they give you a bag that you can fill with air to protect your noodles. It was all very ingenious and fun.And then we went home. All in all a very good day. Perfect for the ending of my trip!