Daddy day care center with beer opens in Japan

Urban oasis offers a place where tired dads can knock back a cold one and take a nap.

After clocking out of work last Friday, Japan entered its annual Golden Week spring vacation period. This year, however, Golden Week is extra-long, as workaholic Japan will enjoy an almost unheard of 10 straight days off.

During that time, vacationers will be flooding Japan’s entertainment and tourism destinations, but for dads who don’t want to fight the crowds in Osaka’s downtown Namba shopping and dining district there’s a relaxing oasis waiting for them inside Namba Midosuji Hall, which is connected to Namba subway station. Ordinarily, Namba Midosuji Hall rents out its conference rooms for business meetings and corporate functions, but during Golden Week it’ll be the venue for Daddy Day Care, which will occupy a 200-square-meter (2,152-square-foot) space.

The organizers’ goals are two-fold, in that they recognize that some dads might not have the energy to accompany their wives on extended shopping excursions through all of Namba’s numerous boutiques and department stores, and also that some Japanese wives would like a place to stash their depleted spouses for a quick recharge while they continue doing whatever they came to Namba to do.

Amenities include foot-massaging machines to soothe tired toes, and also mats for lounging and napping on. Unlimited soft drinks are available for just 200 yen (US$1.80), but since many Dads find a can of beer to be a more soothing pre-nap treat than a box of juice, Daddy Day Care also sells booze too. There’s also free Wi-Fi, electrical outlets, a manga library, and a golf simulator to keep Dads entertained if they’re not feeling sleepy.

Despite the name, Daddy Day Care is open to Moms as well. Kids are welcome too, and some of the earliest customers have been dads with small children who need a place to play and nap for a while during the middle of a family outing.

Daddy Day Care is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and charges 500 yen (US$4.50) per hour for adults or 1,000 yen for an all-day pass (for kids 6 or under the prices are 300 and 600 yen, respectively). The service is being offered until May 6.

Related: Namba Midosuji Hall
Sources: Livedoor News/Asahi Shimbun Digital via Otakomu, Yahoo! Japan News via Jin, Net IB News
Top image: Pakutaso
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