Have you ever seen those cute and adorable photos and videos of micro pigs on the Internet, cuddling humans and smiling up at the camera? Micro pigs have gained a lot of popularity over the past few years in many countries. Of course, Japan has a micro pig café. We visited one, Mipig Café, and we’re here to share some information and our experiences.
What is a Micro Pig?
Before we get to our experiences at Mipig Cafe, let’s talk about what a micro pig is, exactly. Micro pigs are teeny, tiny pigs, even smaller than miniature pigs, which are already very tiny themselves. For your reference, here’s a scale to show you the sizes of pigs, mini pigs, and micro pigs in relation to humans.
It goes micro pig, adult male, mini pig, and regular pig.
Micro pigs are miniature pigs. We use the word “miniature” carefully here. Micro pigs are generally smaller than other breeds of pig but they do grow larger than what you might have in mind. Here is a scale for your reference.
Graph comparison: https://www.socalminipigs.com/
- Micro pig
- Length: 30~50cm
- Weight: 15~40kg
- Life expectancy: 10~15 years
- Mini pig
- Length: 50~100cm
- Weight: 40~100kg
- Life expectancy: 10~15 years
Fun Facts About Micro Pigs
- Micro pigs don’t evoke allergies. For people who are allergic to dogs or cats, micro pigs are a great pet option as they don’t trigger many—or any—allergies.
- Micro pigs are smart. Just like dogs, they remember where things such as the toilet or food bowls are, and they can be trained to do tricks.
- Micro pigs are clean and don’t smell. Though many of us have this image of pigs rolling around in mud, micro pigs are usually very hygienic animals and they like to be kept clean. They clean themselves and do not smell at all.
- Micro pigs’ skin is similar to ours. Their skin is covered in hair and though the hair looks rough, it’s actually very soft and gentle to the touch.
- Micro pigs are social animals. They form close bonds with people and are very affectionate and playful. Their personalities are so unique you can tell identical micro pigs apart just based on their behaviour.
Mipig Cafe
Pronounced ‘my-pig Café’, Mipig Café is short for “micro pig café”, and is the first micro pig café in Japan. The micro pigs are originally from England but are bred on a micro pig farm in Yamanashi. The café aims to be a place for people to meet and learn about micro pigs, especially those who plan to welcome micro pigs into their homes.
Mipig Café houses around 10 to 15 micro pigs at any given time. It acts as a kindergarten to the micro pigs who learn how to be around humans and other micro pigs, and they gain social skills. After 2 to 3 months in Mipig Café, the micro pigs “graduate” and move in with new families. These families are evaluated, have to go through a strict screening process, and must have their homes declared a safe and responsible environment for a micro pig by a professional before they are allowed to take a micro pig home.
There is currently a long waiting list, and you’ll have to wait for anywhere between 8 to 18 months for your beloved micro pig.
How are the Micro Pigs Treated in Mipig Café?
If you are concerned about the well-being of the micro pigs, you’ll be happy to know that they are treated as the top priority in Mipig Café, more so than the customers.
Only a set number of guests are allowed in the café in one session so the micro pigs aren’t overwhelmed, scared, or exhausted. This also means you’ll need to make a reservation in advance. If the micro pigs do wear themselves out, they are let into a separate room where they can rest, instead of being forced to continue interactions with guests.
Guests are instructed to stretch out their legs and wait for the micro pigs to come to them. Here, the micro pigs choose you, not the other way around. As mentioned earlier, micro pigs are social creatures and one or more will eventually come over to you, so don’t worry and just be patient.
Guests are not allowed to carry the micro pigs unless the micro pig itself looks eager and wants to be held.
The micro pigs are walked daily so they get enough exercise, and they sleep in the cosy café at night with each other.
Our Experience in Mipig Cafe
There are two Mipig Cafes in Tokyo, one in Harajuku and a new branch in Meguro that opened recently.
We visited the Harajuku Mipig Café. When we first arrived, we were greeted by an extremely cute exterior of the café that looks like a tree stump. Though it’s located in Harajuku, one of the busiest and most crowded neighbourhoods in Tokyo, the café is situated in a quiet and empty alley, which is probably for the best for the micro pigs.
Guests are asked to arrive 10 minutes before their reservation time. This is so they’ll have time to prepare to meet the micro pigs, which involves removing your shoes, stuffing your belongings in a locker, ordering a drink, and thoroughly sanitising your hands.
There are two plans available in Mipig Café. You can sit in the communal area with other guests and other micro pigs, or have a private room to yourself and your friends with the company of two micro pigs. The private room is half-open and right next to the communal area so you can still look out at the other micro pigs. If you want to interact with as many micro pigs as you can, choose the communal area. If you want to bond with just one or two micro pigs in particular, go for the private room.
As soon as we stepped inside, a couple of micro pigs walked right up to us, as though they were greeting us. It’s clear that they’re used to humans and so weren’t afraid of us; they even looked like they were smiling (though I suppose they always look like that).
As mentioned earlier, micro pigs don’t smell and are very clean, so the room smelled like any other room, unlike some other animal cafes that are usually slightly pungent. And, every so often, we heard cute little squeals and oinks as the micro pigs jumped around and played with one another.
When we got to our private room, a staff member brought us a micro pig and it almost instantly settled itself down on Belle’s lap. The next micro pig the staff brought to our room also went straight to Belle. The staff explained that micro pigs like to cuddle up with each other and will often go where the other has gone.
The micro pigs are very soft to the touch and they seem to genuinely enjoy the company of people. Mipig Café also offers comfortable blankets to put on your laps for those uncomfortable with having micro pigs on your clothes or skin. It’s probably also more comfortable for the micro pigs.
Each session is 30 minutes, but it goes by very quickly. Before you know it, it’s time to leave.
Overall, we had a great time. Though it went by so quickly, it was enough time for us to take photos and videos with the micro pigs, and to interact with them. For people like us who aren’t super-crazy about micro pigs and who aren’t thinking about having micro pigs as pets, we were satisfied with the amount of time and interaction we had with the adorable micro pigs.
How Much Does Mipig Cafe Cost?
It costs 1,000 yen (USD$10) for every 30 minutes per person at the Mipig Café, in the communal area. Each person is also required to order at least one drink. They have soft drinks, coffee, and tea on the menu. Be sure to finish your drink in the time that you’re there as they don’t allow you to take your drink out of the room due to health and safety reasons.
The private room will cost an additional 500 yen per person for every 30 minutes.
If you would like, you can also get longer sessions. For more information, check out the Mipig Café website.
Go See These Adorable Creatures Now!
If you are curious about micro pigs and want to visit these cute creatures, then definitely check out Mipig Cafe. You can tell that the staff here truly cares for the micro pigs and you will have a great time with these happy micro pigs.
If you have any questions or want to get in touch, feel free to DM us on Instagram or message us on Facebook Messenger! We would love to talk with you!
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