When Cats Saved a Train-Themed Restaurant

In Japan, there's a special place called The Diorama Restaurant. This train-themed eatery features model trains running throughout its space. Like many small businesses in 2020, this family restaurant faced tough times and almost had to close forever.

An Unexpected Visitor Arrives

Everything changed on June 10th, 2020. Naoki, the restaurant's owner, found a tiny week-old kitten alone outside their front doors. He decided to take in the small ball of fur and named him Simba.

Just one day later, Simba's mother appeared at the restaurant too. Naoki began feeding her and let her come and go freely. Then during a rainy day, something amazing happened - Simba's mother brought all her other kittens along! The cat family decided to stay.

A Tough Decision During Hard Times

Taking in these cats wasn't an easy choice. Naoki's family was already struggling to keep their business open. Each new cat meant more mouths to feed from an already tight budget.

But Naoki felt that Simba's mother had trusted him with her family. He couldn't let her down. So he made it official and adopted all the cats.

Social Media Magic

Naoki started posting photos and videos of the cats on the restaurant's social media pages. The images showed the playful felines climbing on and knocking over the model train decorations.

What happened next surprised everyone. The internet fell in love with these "railway cats" and their funny antics. People began visiting the restaurant just to see the cats in person. This new interest created enough business to keep the restaurant open.

Giving Back to the Cat Community

Naoki never forgot how cats saved his family business. To show his thanks, he expanded his cat rescue efforts. He added a cat hotel and shelter to the top floor of the restaurant.

Now visitors can enjoy tea while spending time with adoptable rescue cats. Many of these cats find new homes with restaurant guests who fall in love with them.

The Diorama Restaurant stands today as a place where trains and cats come together in perfect harmony - proving that sometimes help comes from the most unexpected places, even in the form of playful kittens knocking things over.