In response to a recent comment I made to a friend about eating dinner alone at a restaurant, she sent me an article about a Japanese cafe’s solution to this issue. At the Moomin Cafe, a giant, stuffed member of the Moomin family will happily accompany you for a coffee and a pastry.
Based on the popular children’s books written by Finnish author Tove Jansson between 1945 and 1993, the little “friends” scattered around this cafe are purportedly cast in their roles in order to alleviate the loneliness of solo diners. Though I can’t seem to find the restaurant’s website to confirm this claim (as opposed to the restaurant merely being an adorable tribute to their namesake book series), nor do I really feel that an over-sized stuffed hippo would distract me from any gloominess I might feel being alone in a restaurant, I still like this idea.
Almost as enticing as Japan’s now famous cat cafes, I would definitely enjoy a slice of cake across from this little Moomin.
hi there, little guy!
So cute!!