There are so many fascinating themed cafés in Japan. In Tokyo you can find cafés with owls, cats, ninjas, rabbits, robots, hedgehogs, maids, and more. Tokyo is really fascinating!
While I was in Tokyo I decided to visit an owl café called Owl Village. It was a hoot! An owl café is a café where you can hold owls and enjoy a drink. It is an amazing experience to hold the owls and see them up close. Being so close to these beautiful animals was a very special experience and it was a lot of fun.
There are many different species of owls in the café, such as a Barn Owl, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Great Horned Owl, Indian Eagle Owl and a White Faced Scops Owl from South Africa. In Japanese an owl is called "fukuro"フクロウ (梟). The symbol of the owl means good luck and good fortune and protection from trouble. The word "fukuro"is a synonym for "fukurou" in Japanese which means protection from hardship and trouble. "Fu" means "no" and "kurou" means hardship.
There are many different species of owls in the café, such as a Barn Owl, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Great Horned Owl, Indian Eagle Owl and a White Faced Scops Owl from South Africa. In Japanese an owl is called "fukuro"フクロウ (梟). The symbol of the owl means good luck and good fortune and protection from trouble. The word "fukuro"is a synonym for "fukurou" in Japanese which means protection from hardship and trouble. "Fu" means "no" and "kurou" means hardship.
The owls are well looked after and appear to be healthy. When you enter the cafe you pay an entrance fee. The cafe is divided into two parts which are a drinking area and an owl petting area and these parts are separated by a glass door and window. You can't bring your drink into the owl petting area. The staff will explain the rules for interacting with the owls and they will escort your group into the room with the owls. The staff will help you put on a falconer's glove and show you how to hold the owls. The staff are very knowledgeable and they will tell you about the different owl's personalities, their names and their background information. You can hold the owls, take pictures with the owls and watch the staff feeding them. The feeding times are at 11:00 and 19:00. For an additional 500 Yen you can feed the owls. The owls are in captivity but the staff do let the owls fly around and get some exercise during non-visiting hours and they do get breaks away from the customers.
There are different species of owls from around the world. This owl is named Schola and it is a White Faced Scops Owl which is a species from South Africa.
This owl is named Wasabi and it is a Great Horned Owl from South America. I think Wasabi is a cute Japanese name for an owl.
This owl is named Ohagi and it is a little owl from a species that lives in Europe, South Africa and Asia. This owl is very small and cute.
This owl is named Kukku and it is an Indian Eagle Owl. This owl has a beautiful pattern on its feathers.
These are Barn Owls named Haku and Canon. The Barn Owl species is found around the world. In Japanese "Haku" means white and they named the Barn Owl "Haku" because she has a white face.
When you leave the café you will also get a small souvenir such as a miniature glass owl ornament or a badge to take home with you. Only the 60 minute course customers will receive the souvenir.
The owl café is about a five minute walk from the Harajuku Takeshita subway exit. If you keep walking past the Harajuku Tourist centre you should see a building on your right with a sign that says owl café. The owl café is on the fourth floor of the building. I would advise making a reservation on their website prior to your arrival because they only let a certain number of people inside the café at a time. If you have a reservation, you can immediately enter the café. If the café has empty seats then you can enter without a reservation. A 60 minute café visit costs around 2500 Yen and it includes one drink, a souvenir and 35 minutes playing with the owls. Sometimes there are limited special offers and discounted prices so keep an eye on their website. The cafe is open from 11:00- 17:00 as a café and from 18:00-20:00 as a bar. They even sell "Nest Beer."
The owl café is about a five minute walk from the Harajuku Takeshita subway exit. If you keep walking past the Harajuku Tourist centre you should see a building on your right with a sign that says owl café. The owl café is on the fourth floor of the building. I would advise making a reservation on their website prior to your arrival because they only let a certain number of people inside the café at a time. If you have a reservation, you can immediately enter the café. If the café has empty seats then you can enter without a reservation. A 60 minute café visit costs around 2500 Yen and it includes one drink, a souvenir and 35 minutes playing with the owls. Sometimes there are limited special offers and discounted prices so keep an eye on their website. The cafe is open from 11:00- 17:00 as a café and from 18:00-20:00 as a bar. They even sell "Nest Beer."
Harajuku is a great area to visit in Tokyo and it is a nice place to shop, enjoy some Harajuku crepes and it is also within walking distance to Meji Shrine and Yoyogi park.
If you like owls then I would highly recommend visiting the owl café in Harajuku Tokyo.
Information:
Opening Hours:11:00 – 17:00; 18:00 – 20:00
Holidays: none (but check the website for irregular exceptions)
Entrance fee: from 1000 yen
Time required: 30-60 mins
Contact: harajuku@owlvillage.jp
Website: http://owlvillage.jp/harajuku/
Access: 1-min walk from Harajuku Station (Takeshita Exit).
Children under 7 years old are not allowed inside the owl petting area for safety reasons and children under 16 should be accompanied by adults.
Children under 7 years old are not allowed inside the owl petting area for safety reasons and children under 16 should be accompanied by adults.
Prices, owls and times are subject to change so please also check their website. http://owlvillage.jp/harajuku/
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