Six Cute Character Cafes in Tokyo You Must Visit

Character cafes are an excellent place to unwind, pay tribute to your favorite characters and eat themed food. Here’s a list of the best must-see character cafes in Japan!

Character cafes are themed cafes that essentially celebrate popular characters from various cartoons, anime, and manga. These cafes typically provide limited-edition themed food and drinks. In the past, we have previously covered some of the most popular cafes in Tokyo such as the Pompompurin cafe and the Pokémon Cafe. In Japan, though, character cafes are endless and there are so many that are based on our favorite characters. 

Here’s a list of some of the most adorable, magical, and downright best character cafes in Tokyo.

Sanrio Cafe

Sanrio’s cutest characters, as well as the sweetest treats, can be found at this character cafe. Located in Ikebukuro Sunshine City, this cafe offers adorable decorations as well as delicious food of Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty, Gudetama, My Melody, and Keroppi. Who wouldn’t want to eat a tasty pancake Cinnamoroll or a Kuromi burger? You can also purchase kawaii merchandise featuring your favorite characters. 

Studio Ghibli Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory

Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory draws inspiration from the enchanting and mythical world of Studio Ghibli. The cream puffs here feature the well-loved fuzzy character, Totoro, from the movie, My Neighbor Totoro. 

These cream puffs are baked fresh every day and come in a variety of flavors, including strawberry, custard, and the limited time seasonal flavors. The outside of the character cafe also embodies the magical aesthetic and looks like it came straight out of a Studio Ghibli film. 

If you’re a big fan of Studio Ghibli and especially want an adorable looking Totoro cream puff, make sure to visit Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory!

Can’t visit a character cafe to celebrate your favorite anime and manga? YumeTwins is on your side! YumeTwins sends character goods to your home, including Japanese plushies, stationery, and many more kawaii goods, so you can celebrate your favorite characters wherever you are!

PEANUTS Cafe (ピーナッツ カフェ)

Everyone is familiar with Peanuts, particularly the charming Snoopy, and its worldwide amusing effect. Why not have a cafe dedicated to its most popular characters? This character cafe is located in Nakameguro, near the Meguro river, a popular sakura spot to view the cherry blossoms in spring. 

The cafe focuses on serving high-quality food, while the bright decorations evoke nostalgic memories. The cafe’s slogan, “It’s not eating, it’s dining,” emphasizes the effort put into creating an overall delightful character cafe experience.

Shirokuma Cafe (しろくまカフェ)

Shirokuma Cafe is a manga and anime series that portrays an amusing everyday slice of life story involving a polar bear running a cafe. This character cafe turns fiction into reality by bringing the Shirokuma (which means polar bear in Japanese) Cafe into real life! 

It is one of the most charming theme cafes with a lot of personality. There are sweets in the shape of a panda, inspired by the character, Panda, who usually hangs around in the cafe. This place is also amazingly cute, and it looks and feels precisely like Shirokuma Cafe. 

The restaurant’s decorations and large plush toys also make for wonderful photo opportunities. This cafe is a must-see for all kuma (bear) enthusiasts. 

This cafe is a bit of a cheat inclusion. It was previously located in Tokyo and was just relocated to Okinawa. So, if you happen to be exploring Okinawa’s tropical paradise, be sure to also stop by the Shirokuma Cafe.

Kirby Cafe (カービィカフェ)

Not only are character cafes known for their decorations, but they are also famous for their food art. The food at this Kirby Cafe displays their food in creative ways. In almost every dish, they incorporate the themes from the video game series. 

For example, they have pink hamburger buns as well as star-shaped potatoes representing Kirby’s shooting stars. They even recreated Kirby’s house using cheesecake. 

The food also comes with souvenir lunch boxes or utensils featuring Kirby and Waddle Dee. Furthermore, this cafe has a beautiful view of the famous Tokyo Skytree, which is one of the best date spots in Tokyo. If you’re a fan of kawaii cafes or are simply a Kirby fan, this cafe will provide an enjoyable experience.

Moomin Bakery & Cafe

This cozy character cafe specializes in Nordic-style light meals and Moomin-themed pastries. Similar to Peanuts, the Moomin characters are from a series of books and comic strips. It’s located in Tokyo Dome City, right by the famous Tokyo Dome and its small amusement park. 

A unique feature of this character cafe is that people are seated with large plush Moonmin characters. The plushies are even rotated during your meal so you can sit with multiple characters and enjoy adorable company. 

The decorations and atmosphere are reminiscent of the fairy house of the Moomins. There are many details in every piece of this cafe, even the cutlery, which were all Moomin inspired. The desserts are also quite tasty. 

The pancake and cheesecake in a mug are both soft and moist, and they are served with fruits and cream. With some kawaii latte art, the iced coffee and iced chocolate are also tasty.

Character cafes are a lot of fun, and there are a lot of complex details placed into them to not only bring popular characters to life, but also to give a great experience for fans. So, try to visit your favorite character cafes while you’re in Japan.

It is common for character cafes to be open for a limited time or have limited edition food and drinks. Other limited time character cafes included the Gudetama Cafe and the Cardcaptor Sakura Theme Cafe so be sure to keep your eye out on any new popup cafes so you don’t miss out on the fun. 

Which character cafe do you want to visit? What’s your favorite part of a character cafe: the super cute food or the decorations and atmosphere? Let us know in the comments below!