4. Anti-loneliness cafes

Table for one? Visit the new crop of restaurants consoling lonely diners with a spot of company in the form of a giant stuffed animal. Aimed at ohitorisama or "singletons", a word commonly used in Japan to refer to unmarried women, the Moomin Cafe in Tokyo seats solo customers opposite cuddly toys based on the characters from Finland's Moomin books. The cafe has been so popular, there are now plans to export the concept to New York.