Mipig is a cafe where you can hang out with cute baby pigs. They're friendly and curious, and they wag their tails just like puppies. You can pet them when they sit in your lap and they make cute snorting noises. Really, what more do you need to know?

Compared to typical cat cafes and other animal-encounter venues, a visit to Mipig is a more structured experience - you're assigned a specific place to sit (on comfortable sofa-like floor-level cushions), and you're asked to order a minimum of one soft drink as soon as you sit down. They also serve desserts, including photogenic pig-shaped pastries.

Once you're settled in, the staff will go out of their way to encourage the piglets to come interact with you. They (the staff) are also happy to answer any pig-related questions you may have, and there are usually a number of English speakers on duty.

The staff dispense small treats to reward friendly interaction, although occasionally this leads to minor squabbles between the younger piglets, which are quickly quelled. Pig activity is mainly comprised of wandering around the playroom, sniffing visitors, snuggling with visitors and sometimes taking brief naps. They don't like to be picked up, but they will happily sit on your lap while you pet them.

When we visited we were led to the fourth-floor playroom, which had three sofa areas, three young piglets in residence, and one busy staff member. The animals here were around three months old, although there were older piglets down in the larger second-floor playroom. The animals here come from a farm in Yamanaka Prefecture, and one of the purposes of the cafe is to acclimate them to people. You can also adopt a pet pig from the same folks who run the cafe.

The reservation system is fairly straightforward, although currently it's only in Japanese. Basically you fill out an online form and pick a date and time when you'd like to visit with your group, as they only accept reservations for two or more people. Show up on the day you've reserved, show them your confirmation email and you're in. There's a small discount if you follow them on Instagram.