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Video: Animal Cafes Are Cool, But Does A Raccoon Cafe Go Too Far?

In the dense megacities of East Asia, millions of people dwell in high-rises with very little green space. This isn't an ideal setting to raise big dogs or more unusual pets. Cramped quarters aren't great for domesticated pets in general.

The solution? Entrepreneurs in cities like Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong — and my current hometown of Seoul — have opened animal cafes, where you can have a coffee and work on your laptop, surrounded by furry, four-legged friends.

This all sounds OK, right? Well, we thought so, too. Until we tried a raccoon cafe ...

Watch all of Elise Tries on YouTube.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Elise Hu is a host-at-large based at NPR West in Culver City, Calif. Previously, she explored the future with her video series, Future You with Elise Hu, and served as the founding bureau chief and International Correspondent for NPR's Seoul office. She was based in Seoul for nearly four years, responsible for the network's coverage of both Koreas and Japan, and filed from a dozen countries across Asia.