Meeting New People and the Cat Cafe

So Wes and I had been in Japan for a few weeks and we hadn't met anyone besides teachers and the other student (and a woman who's car I hit with my bike but I don't think that counts). So in order to get more Japanese practice in and just to meet people I set up an account with a site I found called My Language Exchange where you can type in what city you're in and find people who want to study in your language. So basically it puts you in contact with people that you can meet face to face and do a language exchange. A couple of people then e-mailed me and I was finally able to set up a meeting with a guy call Eiji and his friend. So on Sunday 10th Feb Wes and I headed into Tenjin and met Eiji and Erika for the first time.

They were really nice people who were very eager to first take us for lunch at a cat cafe! Now I'd mentioned before (on fb) that I had wanted to go to a cat cafe and had been looking up prospective ones in Fukuoka. Lo and behold the one they take us to is the one I'd wanted to go to! I'd never been to a cat cafe so this was a first and I was super excited to see all of the cats! The cafe we went to was a clean cool well lit place on the 5th floor of a building. There were cats everywhere sleeping, running around. Thinking about it it was pretty quiet too! It's as if cats in Japan just don't meow. When we sat down there was even a cat sitting on Wes' chair. The waitress comes over picks the little guy up and plonks him on Wes' lap. The cat bairly blinks before moving to Erika's chair and falling asleep again. He was asleep the whole time we were there, not bothered at all that we were taking up half of his seat. 

(The kitty that rejected Wes and went to sleep on Erika's lap)

So we order some stupidly expensive drinks and sweets (at this point I'm so hungry I don't care) and while waiting for our orders go and play with the cats. They aren't really interested in you most of the time and just ignore you while you pet them. At least they do until you have some kind of food. Once my sweet had arrived there was this one cat that kept batting at it trying to steal some >< The waitress had to take him away so I could eat in peace. 

(Kitty trying to steal my dessert)

So after the cat cafe we decided to wander over to a park in the middle of the City where the ruins of Fukuoka Castle were. I'd seen pictures of this place on maps cos it has a huge lake with an island in the middle. We didn't go onto the island but wandering around the castle grounds was fun. We saw lots of pretty trees and plum blossoms and got to get to know Erika and Eiji pretty well. 

 We were so knackard by the end of the day. We did think of having dinner out but I realised I had no money so we put that off.I pretty much slept the whole way back on the train and then we both died at about 9pm. It was a good day ^__^