The animal cafe craze in Japan doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. If anything, I think they’re getting more and more creative, each time making our eyebrows raise a little bit more.
I’m sure everyone has heard of cat cafes. I believe they started out in the early 2000s as a place where people who lived in apartments with pet restriction rules could get their ‘animal-fix’. Cats are relatively low maintenance and there are so many stray cats everywhere that it was only a matter of time before someone came up with the idea of taking care of a bunch of cats and having people come play with them!
These ‘cafes’ made their way onto tourist to-do lists, and gradually the whole concept started to evolve. With their love of all things strange, Japan has created some very unique animal cafes. Though some may make you question whether it’s good for the animals to be in this environment, the animals I’ve seen so far have seemed well taken care of.
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Rabbit Cafe
The rabbits in this cafe we visited in Shimokitazawa were absolutely the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Their fur was so soft and silky. Some of them had long, droopy ears. Some were spotted like a cow. One in particular that caught my eye was a long-haired breed whose coat was so fluffy it made it look like a sweet little face popping out from a cloud!
The bunnies hopped around the space freely, often sticking with their buddies. They would come when we offered food, but they didn’t seem to like being held, so we ended up just watching them and taking photos for the most part.
Owl Cafe
The past couple of years have seen an increase in owls as pets. I have actually seen a few people taking their owl for a walk in park…?!! (By taking a walk, I mean the owl just sits on their arm).
The owl cafe we visited in Akihabara was clean and quiet. They only allow a limited number of visitors at a time so as not to overwhelm the animals. If anyone is looking to go to the same cafe we did —Akiba Fukuro— note they only take online reservations and you have to choose a 1-hour time slot.
It was one of the most bizarre experiences walking into a room full of owls sleeping peacefully on their stands. They ranged from the size of your hand to the length of your forearm. They all have fantastic names—Gorilla, Zebra, Snowman, The Last Samurai, Queen of Heart!! This cafe has 36 owls all up but only a select few can be held at any one time.
We were able to choose two to hold, one at a time. For the bigger birds, we needed to wear gloves to protect us against their sharp claws. It was really cool but I felt a bit awkward at first—how do you even interact with an owl?! I’m used to scratching a dog or cat behind its ear. Owls, as we found out, like getting the feathers between their eyes gently stroked!
Hedgehog Cafe
Harry Hedgehog opened in Roppongi in 2016, surprising everyone that such a cafe could exist! The little balls of spikes quickly became famous and they expanded in 2017, opening a second cafe in Harajuku.
We chose the Roppongi location for our hedgehog play date, and ended up having a great time! The cafe does accept walk-ins, but since it’s still the ‘latest craze’ I would recommend reserving online especially if you go on the weekend.
We wore gloves to protect our hands from getting pricked, though you are able to hold them with your bare hands at your own risk. Although their entire backs are packed with spikes, their faces are so gentle and their ears so soft. The hogs love to snuggle, so as soon as you pick them up they curl in a ball in the palm of your hands, tucking in their tiny hands and feet—the cutest thing ever! The trouble is, then you feel bad disturbing them, so you end up motionless just sitting there with a snoozing hedgehog!
How cute is the resident fox at the hedgehog cafe! His ears were massive!!
Have you ever been to an animal cafe? Would it be something you’d be interested in doing in Tokyo?
Hello ,
I saw your tweet about animals and thought I will check your website. I like it!
I love pets. I have two beautiful thai cats called Tammy(female) and Yommo(male). Yommo is 1 year older than Tommy. He acts like a bigger brother for her. :)
I have even created an Instagram account for them ( https://www.instagram.com/tayo_home/ ) and probably soon they will have more followers than me (kinda funny).
I have subscribed to your newsletter. :)
Keep up the good work on your blog.
Regards
Wiki
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Those little hedgehog feet!!! Cuteness overload! 💕I would love to visit them in Tokyo, but I’m allergic. There’s a cat cafe in Helsinki, btw! Someone borrowed the idea from Japan! :)
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How cool there’s a cat cafe in Helsinki! I hear the cat cafe idea has really taken off in Europe.
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Adorable! I’ve never heard of such a thing. What will they come up with next? ;)
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It really makes you wonder! Knowing Japan, it’ll be something cute. I really want to go to a puppy cafe!
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A friend just told me today that close by they are starting up a kitty cafe. The idea is spreading!
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These are adorable. I hope the idea will someday come to America,
So cute! M :-)
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It’s a fun experience! I wonder if the idea will make it to America one day…
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Hopeitdoes
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The owls look interesting, but I’ve never been tempted by these cafes. Maybe one day :).
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I totally get they’re not for everyone!
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I went to an animal cafe in Sapporo. They had owls and hedgehogs its was soo cute holding the hedgehog :)
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I didn’t know there were hedgehog cafes in Sapporo too… they’re spreading fast!
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I didn’t know there could be an owl and hedgehog cafe with a little fox, nt mind is blown
Now I have something else to put down in my bucket list! Thanks for sharing this!
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Cool! People in Japan are always coming up with interesting ideas like these animal cafes!
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英恵さんの手に乗ったふくろうは何という名前ですか。頭の良いふくろうは、自分の名を呼ばれたら、わかるのでしょうか。ウサギさんたちはピーターラビットの物語を思い起こさせてくれます。自宅でペットを飼えない人たちだけでなく、多くの人がまれにみる動物に出会える動物カフェは憩いの場ですね。
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普通のペットより珍しい動物のカフェに人気が集まっていますね。ウサギはピーターラビットのため、フクロウはハリーポッターのために人気になったかもしれないですが、ハリネズミは何で人気になったのでしょうか。
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I have heard a lot about these up and coming animal cafes in Japan. The hedgehogs are adorable. We should start some of these in Australia, if they don’t already exist??!! :)
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They were extremely cute! I think they would do well in Australia too… I know cat cafes already exist.
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So many opportunities to snuggle!
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Wow visiting these adorable animal cafés is really a great thing to do in Japan, and so much different than the famous touristic attractions. Thanks for sharing :)
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They are definitely something different to do on a trip to Japan!
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This is such a cool concept. Have never heard of these Cafes before. Would love to visit your country.
Keep Glittering,….love TGA by Misha
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Thanks :) It’s such a unique idea… I wonder who first thought of it!
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So cute, especially the bunnies! Have you ever been to a Cat cafe in Tokyo? What’s your favourite?
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I’ve never been much of a cat person (grew up with dogs as pets), so I haven’t been to a cat cafe. Out of the 3 I went to, I think the owls were the coolest!
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Japan is my #1 dream travel dest
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Japan is my #1 dream travel destination. If only I had any skills that generated any kind of decent money.
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