Staffer Mizuki Murata, who also works in a rabbit cafe in the same building, said the shop had been popular since its February opening, with customers often having to queue.

"We wanted to show people the charm of hedgehogs, which give the impression of being hard to handle. We wanted to get rid of that image by letting people touch them," Murata said.

"The cutest thing about hedgehogs is getting them to finally open up and show you their face."