Some childhood books stick with you for life and for a lot of people, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of these.
And for a limited time, fans can put their love of their book where their mouth is at the Very Hungry Caterpillar Cafe in, of course, Japan.
Visitors can dine on meals themed on the works of Eric Carle's world famous book, starting with a dish based on its iconic cover.
The 'French toast of lazy pink caterpillar' costs about NZ$30 and consists of French toast baked with prawns, avocado, cheese, zucchini, pumpkin and broccoli.
Hungry yet? There's more.
The striped plate may look like a plate full of sugary dessert goodness, but it's not.
It contains rice made to look like chocolate, a mashed potato and beetroot 'ice cream', and a burger which looks more like candy than a cheeseburger.
After dining out on this menu, it's safe to say you'll go home one very happy butterfly.
Of course, that's not the only slightly odd cafe experience to be had in Tokyo.
One that went straight to my bucket list is Moomin Bakery Cafe.
Moomins are Swedish characters that feature in a series of books by Finnish illustrator Tove Jansson.
They're large, white and have a big snout. You could say they're hippopotamus-like in their appearance. They're adorable and at Moomin Bakery Cafe you can take one out to dinner.
In terms of the menu, it's popular for its coffee and Finns love it for its ruislimppu or rye bread. Make sure you're going there with a group with the intention of hanging out with a plush Mooman. This place is a destination due to the experience, not for the food.
Somewhere else you can dine with characters from the world of imagination is the Peter Rabbit Garden Cafe.
The theme is, of course, Peter Rabbit, and everything from the uniforms to the food and drinks reflects this.
Each table has a couple of books from the Beatrix Potter series for you to read (if you know Japanese) while enjoying your coffee topped with Peter Rabbit coffee art.
The building itself feels like it's straight out of the English countryside and its interior continues that aesthetic.
It's an affordable experience too at around NZ$20 per meal, and coffee that costs less than what it does back home. They don't charge extra for the cute rabbit drawing on the top either.
Japan is known for embracing non-mainstream cultures, especially when it has anything to do with characters or dressing up.
With coffee art like this and meals based on the life of a very hungry caterpillar, its clear why Tokyo has become one of the culture capitals of the world.
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