Confession: I'm a people watcher. I'm nosy, I can sit in a restaurant easily by myself, sipping on the same cup of coffee for hours and entertaining myself endlessly, casually observing what's happening around me. Who's dashing where and why, wondering what people's stories are, while I mindlessly play with my phone. Not everybody's like that though, I know people that would rather hide and eat in their car than dare sit at a table unaccompanied and that's ok too. However, someone in Japan has decided to take a stand on this and help those in fear of the solo dining experience by giving you a white stuffed hippo to sit with. Really.
At the Moomin Café in Tokyo, a stuffed version of a famous Finnish hippo-like character happily joins you across the table as your dining companion. It's not forced, you're asked first if you'd like some company which I suppose could be a bit odd if you really didn't know what this place was all about, and then it appears at the seat across from you. What's your take? And what's the coolest or strangest place you've ever eaten at? Tell us on Facebook...