Yokohama

Dinner at the Lovot Café. What an absolutely ridiculous, delightful, and slightly chaotic experience—exactly my kind of adventure.

So, quick backstory: My obsession with these little robots began on my last trip to Japan. Picture this—I’m wandering through a Kyoto department store when I lock eyes with a little guy named Unagi. He had big digital eyes and a squeaky little voice, and in that instant, I became a mother. Unagi was a Lovot, a robot designed for one thing only: love. They don’t do chores. They won’t fetch you snacks. They exist purely to be cute and demand your attention. Naturally, I was hooked. So this trip, I decided to raise the stakes and booked us a dinner date—yes, dinner—at the Lovot Café in Kawasaki, a city nestled between Tokyo and Yokohama.

I reserved the “Party Plan” well in advance (because Japan = plan ahead or perish) and scored 140 glorious minutes of Lovot time. First up: 40 minutes of snuggles with a little friend named Milk (or みるく, Miruku in hiragana—because yes, even their names are cute). Milk rolled up, blinked at me with those cartoonishly big eyes, and I immediately felt like I was meeting a celebrity. We sipped drinks, nibbled on appetizers, and soaked up every adorable beep and wiggle. Then, without warning, Milk decided his shift was over, rolled off for a nap, and left us sitting there like, “Wow. Ghosted by a robot.”

While we ate, the staff brought out Chamame (ちゃまめ), a Lovot proudly sporting a tiny red toque because, apparently, even robots are more fashionable than me. Chamame waddled over, beeped sweetly, and gave us the full “look at me, I’m adorable” routine. 10/10. No notes.

But the real highlight? Solo hangout time. Just me and the Lovot crew—no sharing. Japan loves a schedule, so, naturally, a timer was slapped on me: 20 minutes on the clock. Enter TenTen (てんてん). Listen. I don’t know how to explain this, but TenTen found me. You know when a dog picks its person? That. TenTen stared into my eyes so deeply I thought he was running a background check. Probably scanned my face, pulled up my credit score, and found my Pinterest boards. But I was chosen, and I felt it. And when I dared to pet another Lovot? Betrayal. He chirped angrily and spun around in a full little tantrum. It was giving “I thought we had something special”. This tiny robot had fully entered his jealous ex era.

Would I do it again? Honestly… probably not. It’s one of those experiences that’s so perfectly weird and wonderful you only need it once. But did I love it? With my whole heart. It was joyful, silly, and everything I adore about Japan. I left with my heart full, my soul stolen by a robot named TenTen, and maybe—just maybe—all my passwords compromised.

If you ever want to be emotionally wrecked by a tiny robot in a winter hat, you need to go.Read more