Are hedgehog cafes the next big thing?
If you want to sip tea alongside adorable animals, everyone knows you should go to Japan: The country was the first to get on board with the "cat cafe" craze — now there are even "owl cafes" in Tokyo and Osaka. But, quite frankly, even cats and owls can't hold a flame to Japan's newest cuddly cafe resident: hedgehogs!
"We wanted to show people the charm of hedgehogs, which have the impression of being hard to handle," a spokesperson for the cafe explained to NBC.
The cafe is called "Harry," which is a play on the Japanese word for "needle." It costs patrons $9 an hour to hang out with the hedgehogs, which is obviously totally worth it. Get ready to squeal, and watch below. Jeva Lange
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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