Mori Ouchi, a cozy cafe in Tokyo’s laidback Shimokitazawa district, is famous for only catering to pessimists and people with a generally negative mindset.
Negative people tend to get a bad rep and are constantly told to be more positive, but, if you think about it, is there really anything wrong with being negative? The founder of Mori Ouchi, a small cafe in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, certainly doesn’t think so. A self-described gloomy person, he got the idea for like-minded people over a decade ago but only decided to open it three years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The man had always felt like negative people were more sensitive and more easily hurt than others, so he created a space dedicated exclusively to them.
“People always say that being positive is good and being negative is bad, but I don’t think being negative-minded is such a bad thing,” the owner 0f Mori Ouchi told Sora News 24. “I think a lot of negative people tend to be reserved in their attitude, which is a form of kindness, and I thought it would be nice for there to be a relaxing place for them.”
Featuring a rustic, woodland decor that the owner built himself, Mori Ouchi doesn’t really look like a venue for pessimistic people but it does have private rooms where patrons can be themselves without worrying about the stares of others. The only thing that hints at negativity is the menu, particularly the bizarrely long names of the cocktails:
- “The Only Good Thing About My Dad Was That He Was an Earnest Person, But 22 Years Ago He Suddenly Disappeared, Leaving Behind a Letter That Said ‘Pegasuses are Real’”;
- “Yesterday, I Buried the Cursed Kokeshi Doll Deep in the Mountain Forest, But When I Woke Up This Morning It Was Back on My Shelf”;
- “On My Birthday, My Mom Sent Me a Melon from the Countryside, and I Didn’t Have the Heart to Tell Her that I Don’t Really Like Melon Very Much Anymore.”
According to the owner, most of the cocktails served at Mori Ouchi are made with vibrantly colored ingredients that end up leaving patrons disappointed by their harsh taste and the disgusting color when mixed.
Japan is home to many bizarre cafes, but Mori Ouchi is definitely among the most intriguing ones.
