Just around the corner from the pulsing blare and brightness of the Akihabara electronics and anime district, cafe Neko JaLaLa is an oasis of calm. Past the brass, paw-handled door to the inner sanctum, denizens loll on the thick carpet, drape over couches, and almost purr with pleasure in the quiet atmosphere.

And that's just the humans.

It's the eight staff cats who actually set the tone here at this "cat cafe."

Cats, says Tetsunori Oda, a system engineer who likens cat-gazing to looking at art, are "a way to relax and let go of my stress."

"When it comes to having cats, it's a burden. I work and I don't have the time to take care of them in a responsible manner,"

And in Tokyo – where not only long work hours but tight and expensive real estate limit pet ownership – cat cafes are a cultural trend. There are at least seven of them operating in Tokyo, packing customers in at fees varying from $8 to $12 an hour

A no-tail-pulling mandate means that small children are personae non gratae