Prior to visiting Seoul, when you research for suitable attractions to add to our itinerary, the Rilakkuma Café is bound to turn up sooner or later.
Rilakkuma themed cafe
The Gongsang Café, which translates to “Fancy Café”, was previously called “Capi Capi Loom Loom”.
It is located near Sungshin Women’s University subway station. You may face some difficulty in finding it so do not hesitate to ask people for directions. They are very helpful.
The small cafe is filled with lots of Rilakkuma and other soft toys to keep you company while you drink your coffee.
If you are not familiar, Rilakkuma is a popular bear character created in Japan about 17 years ago. He stars in many children’s books, and his name is a contraction of relax and kuma which is Japanese for bear.
It means “bear in relaxed mood” and he helps stressed-out children and adults to relax. His hobbies include sleeping, relaxing, watching TV and soaking in hot springs.
Besides food and drinks, customers can also browse the wide selection of Rilakkuma merchandise on sale and take home a cute and cuddly companion to help them de-stress.
Dog and cat themed cafes
Another interesting place to visit is a dog cafe. There are a number of these establishments in Seoul.
There is a famous one located on the fourth floor of an ordinary building in Seoul’s busy Myeongdong district.
Inside it are about twenty or so dogs, lounging around on benches, sitting on customers’ laps or just wandering about.
After paying an entrance charge, which includes a drink, you will be provided with a “menu” featuring photos of all the dogs and listing their names.
Customers are expected to sit on the floor with a blanket over their laps, and wait for any passing dog to come and sit on them.
Some of the dogs are a bit lazy and prefer to lie about chewing the furniture rather than interacting with customers.
It is a bit of a weird experience, as the dogs are allowed to do their business anywhere on the floor.
The staff spend much of their time mopping the floor and cleaning up after the hounds. The dogs seem happy enough receiving lots of petting and attention.
You might wonder how often they get to run around in the fresh air. Still you should not complain as Seoul used to be more famous for eating dogs rather than playing with them!
Cat lovers are not left out as there are many cat cafes in Seoul too.
This article first appeared in Thrifty Traveller.