Themed cafes, especially ones inspired by video games and anime, are part and parcel of Japanese fan culture. But it’s not just the usual targets of otaku love that get the themed cafe treatment, you can even find cafes in Japan based around the globally adored children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

These pop up cafes, which can be found in Kichijoji, Tokyo, have appeared before, and now there’s another chance for children, as well as nostalgic adults, to sample an original menu inspired by the voracious lava.

One of the main motifs of Eric Carle’s story is the various delicious fruits that the caterpillar eats his way through, leading up to the narrative’s major twist. For this new original menu, the brightly coloured fruits have become the main inspiration, with the cafe’s concept being ‘fruits parlour’.

For example, the fruits curry is not only shaped like fruits, with pilaf rice formed into an apple and banana, but the pork curry itself is filled with sweet chunks of apple and mango.

There’s dishes especially made for children, like the kid’s plate which includes chicken and broccoli pasta and well as mini pancakes, fruit and a drink.

The recognisable character can also be seen in desserts such as the fruits sandwich.

And a tiny version is perched on top of a particularly fruity pudding a la mode.

The beverages are just as ostentatiously fruity as one might expect from a cafe of this nature. You can go for the fruits punch which even comes with an exclusive drinks coaster.

Or the cream soda which has a mini parfait on top complete with a caterpillar staring you right in your face, and an exclusive drinks coaster.

There’s plenty more on the menu, which can be seen on the cafe’s official menu.

Sadly, the operating hours of the cafe have been affected by the current pandemic, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the cafe’s website and social media for updates. But luckily, the eatery will be around until the end of March 2021 so there’s plenty of time to crawl on down.


By - Jess.