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2021.02.03 05:07 GMT+8

Tokyo’s famous Kawaii Monster Cafe closes due to COVID-19 pandemic

Updated 2021.02.03 05:07 GMT+8
CGTN

The Kawaii Monster Cafe, an iconic restaurant once a hotspot for tourists and celebrities in Tokyo, has shut its doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This famous cafe, symbolic of Japan’s “kawaii” or intensely cute culture,  gives customers a real taste of Japanese costumes and pop lifestyle.

It was visited by overseas fans like reality star Kim Kardashian, singer Dua Lipa and Jennie of K-pop group Blackpink.

The café had originally opened amid high expectations ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but after the Games were delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan, and uncertainty over its commercial lease, Kawaii decided to close the business, store manager Keisuke Yamada said.

“I feel it is very hard to keep the business going, without knowing how long the current situation will last,” Yamada told Reuters.

By Tuesday afternoon, the number of COVID-19 cases in Japan was was approaching 400,000 with about 6,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday announced a monthlong extension of its COVID-19 state of emergency in Tokyo and nine other districts, which was set to expire on February 7.

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