The cafe shuts at 6 a.m. the following morning, by which time the mothers who came in alone have usually slept, talked, or simply sat in the company of strangers without judgment.
The shop in Hokkaido is one of a small but growing number of late-night "crying cafes" emerging across Japan, offering a rare refuge during the most isolating hours of parenting at a time when the country is recording its fewest babies on record.
Kyodo News, which reported on the spaces, described them as community-led initiatives inspired by an online manga from nearly a decade ago.
The Memuro shop is run by 28-year-old Madoka Nozawa, who named the after-hours space "Oyako no Koya," or Parent and Child's House. The room has been open Sunday nights since October last year. Mats are laid out for babies to crawl and sleep, and designated areas allow for breastfeeding and diaper changes. Female volunteers help Nozawa watch over the children and listen to the mothers.
A 34-year-old woman on maternity leave, who visited recently with her 1-year-old and 6-year-old daughters, told Kyodo the visit had given her a chance to exhale.
