The cat café & bar Somali opened on Saturday, October 1, 2022, in front of JR Kurashiki Station.
The shop is marked by orange letters that say "Somali CAT & CAFÉ & BAR" against a backdrop of white walls adorned with cat paintings.
You can enjoy drinks and sweets while being healed by 7 cats (including new kittens, totaling 15 cats).
We will introduce the atmosphere of the shop and the owner's feelings towards the cats, Mr. Kusaka Eizo.
The 15 cats are Somali family
At Somali, you will be greeted by 15 cats.
In fact, these cats are of the Somali breed and are a family.
▼The family structure is as follows.
- Mother: Uru
- Father: Eru
- Children: Sor, Maru, Riru, Ruru, Beru
▼Uru is a bit small and does not wear a collar.
▼Eru also does not wear a collar, and is characterized by long fur around his neck. He has the dignity of a family father.
▼The kittens can be distinguished by the color of their collars.
- Sor: Black and white check
- Maru: Yellow
- Riru: Red
- Ruru: White
- Beru: Blue
Originally, the owner, Mr. Kusaka, had Uru and welcomed Eru as her husband.
First, Sor and Maru were born, followed by Riru, Ruru, and Beru, and due to the increase in family members, they decided to open a cat café.
The Somalis in the shop are family, and because they still live together every day, they can notice even the smallest changes. You can interact with the cats as if you are visiting the Somali family's home.
Mr. Kusaka mentions that there are not many "cat cafés with a cat family" or "cat cafés exclusive to Somali."
Somali cats are friendly and enjoy interacting with people. Therefore, even those who have never visited a cat café before will find it easy to get along with the cats.
The shop has toys for playing with the cats, and when you wave them in front of the cats, you can see them jumping at the toys.
Riru likes not only toys but also strings, and sometimes plays with the strings of the clothes people are wearing.
Thanks to wearing a hoodie, I was able to see Riru playing with the strings of my hoodie as a toy.
A rich café & bar menu
At Somali, the café & bar menu is also substantial.
You can enjoy not only soft drinks and sweets but also alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
I had the "Peach Cream Soda" and "Gorgonzola Cheesecake."
Peach Cream Soda
The ice cream on the cream soda is decorated with a cat design.
Before eating, its cuteness makes you want to take a photo.
The peach soda is fruity, and the fizzy sensation is very refreshing.
The ice cream has a strong vanilla flavor, and when melted into the soda, it creates a refreshing sweetness.
Gorgonzola Cheesecake
The Gorgonzola cheesecake has a strong cheese flavor and a moderate sweetness.
The cake is very soft and has a melting texture when it enters your mouth.
It pairs well with the whipped cream and berry sauce served with it, making it hard to stop eating.
The café menu offered at Somali was created from the staff's suggestion of wanting to serve café menu items as they enjoy café hopping.
With the desire to make the staff's wishes come true as much as possible, they worked on developing the café menu, which has now taken its current form.
Even those who are not particularly interested in cats can enjoy Somali through the food.
Endo Aojiru
The owner, Mr. Kusaka, is also the representative director of "Endo Aojiru Kurashiki," and you can drink Aojiru at Somali.
You can mix it with apple, orange, or milk, but I drank it straight.
Since it is made with fresh kale, the flavor of the kale is strong, making it feel as if you are actually eating vegetables.
This Aojiru is something I would like those who are not fond of vegetables to try at least once.
Let's take photos outside the shop
Somali has a photo spot on the outside wall of the shop, where you can take photos and enjoy.
The shop's pure white wall features a large tree and paintings of 7 Somalis.
The wall paintings were created by the artist acute.
The soft and cute images were shaped by acute based on Mr. Kusaka's vision.
In the previous shop that was in the same location as the cat café, the wall paintings were also done by acute, and Mr. Kusaka thought, "If we are going to repaint, I would like to ask them to do it again."
The paintings are not only meant to beautify the shop but also to bring joy to customers and passersby through the exterior.
So, I also took some photos.
In addition, there are Somali drawings on the trees and on top of the post depicted.
How about searching for your favorite Somali drawing and taking a photo together?
New Members Have Arrived
A new member debuted in May 2024. A male cat was welcomed to Somali, and kittens were born. As of June 2024, five have debuted, and two have had a pre-debut.
▼The five that debuted.
- Rize
- Rion
- Lily
- Rin
- Rui
▼The two that had a pre-debut.
- Soara
- Sofi
The kittens are curious about everything. They play without letting go of their toys and are interested in the edges of the carpet.
The kittens, moving around rapidly, are never boring to watch.
The five debuted kittens are small enough, but the two that had a pre-debut were even younger and walked a bit slowly.
Perhaps they are still unsure about many things, as they walk around looking around curiously, but they also fall from heights. They seem to have many failures, but their father and mother cats are nearby, so they are safe.
Kittens grow quickly, so they will become larger in about 1 to 2 months. If you want to see their adorable appearance, it seems best to visit early.
Kittens are available for viewing until 8 PM.
Let's Feed During Meal Time
During the two meal times a day, you can feed the cats for free. At other times, you can purchase for 300 yen each.
Feeding them is just like having a house cat. If you want to see the cats eating, you might want to visit during meal times.
In Conclusion
When asked, "What kind of people do you want to come?", the response was, "I want people who have never interacted with cats to visit."
Mr. Kusaka himself had never interacted with cats until he raised Uru, but now he says he has come to love cats to the point of running a cat café.
Mr. Kusaka hopes that the friendliness and cuteness of cats will be conveyed to more people.
I hope that as many people as possible will visit and experience the charm of Somali.
Somali Data
| Name | Somali |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-10 Kawanishi-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-436-7544 |
| Parking | Available Only one parking space |
| Opening Hours | 11 AM to 10 PM |
| Closed | None |
| Admission Fee (including tax) | Table charge 100 yen for 10 minutes One drink system Food and drink costs are additional Entry allowed from middle school students and above |
| Payment Methods |
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| Toilet | Western-style toilet |
| Childcare | No entry for those under 13 years old |
| Website | Cat Café & Bar Somali |
