Owner Haruka Watabe is confident that the venture will be a success. "I can guarantee a safe and relaxing experience for customers at Happy Gaijin House," she said at yesterday's opening party. "Our gaijin have been selected carefully and trained to be comfortable around Japanese people, and customers will be free to have as much or as little direct contact as they want."
Asked about ethical concerns, she said "We're absolutely committed to the wellbeing of our gaijin. They'll be provided with spacious living quarters, and a special diet to ensure they're content and well fed."
There's already a good deal of interest in the cafe. Housewife Kana Watanabe, 33, said "I'm planning to take my four-year-old daughter there, so she can see how cute gaijin are in real life, and maybe even touch one." Junior manager Tatsuya Mochizuki, 45, told us, "I'll probably go there after work sometime. After a ten-hour work day, it'll be relaxing to see their happy little faces as they frolic with their toys."
Watabe is hoping that customers will not only have fun with gaijin, however, but will also come to see them differently. "Through contact with the gaijin, I hope people will recognise that they all have their own individual personalities," she said. "Then they can learn to respect them as the unique creatures that they are."
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