My visit to the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo Japan!

One of the things I enjoyed doing in Tokyo was visiting the Robot Restaurant. Tokyo offers some of the craziest and out of the ordinary entertainment! Where else but in Tokyo can you eat sushi while you watch gigantic robots battling each other?  

                       

Admission costs 8000 Yen and I also ordered a sushi bento for an additional 1000 Yen. The meal options available are a sushi bento, a grilled beef bento, or a thinly sliced marinated beef bento. The meal option costs an additonal 1000 Yen. If you want to save money then you can buy a ticket to watch the show without the meal option.

When you first enter you will go to a waiting room where you can sit and have a drink while you wait for the show to start. This is the most shiny, glitzy place I have ever seen. There is a guitarist wearing a metallic robot suit. The music is pretty good!

Although it is called a restaurant it is really more of a show featuring robots. The show's plot centers around an evil robot that plans to conquer the forest and fights against the peace loving forest creatures.When the show begins you will see all sorts of robots and performances.The show is eccentric,  neon-lit, colorful and bizarre! 

During the show the performers hand out these lights to the audience. The performers will encourage you to wave your lights around as you watch the show.  

The basic show schedule is as follows:

1st show starts 4:00PM（Opening Act 3:20PM）

2nd show starts 5:55PM（Opening Act 5:15PM）

3rd show starts 7:50PM（Opening Act 7:10PM）

4th show starts 9:45PM（Opening Act 9:05PM）

It is quite a popular tourist attraction so I would advise booking your ticket online on their website if you don't want to risk waiting in queues to buy tickets. It's also a good idea to book online because sometimes there are special discounts. http://www.shinjuku-robot.com/pc/ 

How to get there:
The Robot Restaurant is located in Shinjuku Tokyo. You can get to the Robot Restaurant from the JR Shinjuku Station, East Entrance. Address : 1-7-1, Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Shinjuku robot building B2F Japan

The Robot Restaurant is definitely worth visiting for a fun and memorable experience in Tokyo!

Visiting the owl cafe in Tokyo!

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. 

The staff are very knowledgeable about owls. I'm well aware that people may find this kind of cafe cruel and that these owls should be in the wild, but sadly they are domesticated now and they would find it hard to go back to the wild now.

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." 

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.

Prices, owls and times are subject to change so please also check their website.  http://owlvillage.jp/harajuku/

Visiting the cat café in Tokyo!

While I was in Tokyo I visited a cat café.  Don't worry, cats are definitely not on the menu! A cat café is a place where you can drink coffee (or another beverage) and play with cats.

I think the reason why cat cafés are popular in Japan is because many people in Tokyo live in apartments and they cannot keep pets of their own. The cat café has created a place for people to enjoy animals while living in a big city. It also fits in with the "kawaii" cute culture in Japan.

The cat café I visited is part of a franchise called Café Mocha which has cat cafés in various locations. The cat café  I visited is located in Shibuya, Tokyo and it is about a 5 minute walk from Shibuya station and you can walk across Shibuya crossing on your way to the café. The opening hours are from 10 am until 10 pm and the last entry is at 9:30 pm. I went there at night with a friend after we spent the day exploring Tokyo. The entrance fee is 200 Yen for 10 minutes. You can also purchase a refillable vending machine drink for an additional 350 Yen. The vending machine has many drink options like hot chocolate, tea, different sodas and all kinds of coffee. If you want to get the cat's attention you can do this by buying some cat treats for around 550 Yen.

The café is clean, nicely decorated and the cats appear to be healthy and well looked after. There are many cat toys that you can use to entertain the cats. They café gives the cats time to rest by letting the cats be around the customers in shifts.

Before we entered the café an employee explained the rules for handling the cats. Customers are not allowed to pick up the cats but they can touch them and stroke them. Customers should not pull the cat's tails and they should not tease the cats. I'm glad this cat café has good rules for handling the cats. Next we had to clean our hands with hand sanitizer and store our belongings in a locker. Then we had to remove our shoes and put on the indoor slippers provided by the café.

Inside the café the cats roam freely and there are cat toys available for you to use to play with the cats. There are vending machines with lots of different drink options and different kinds of coffee, hot chocolate and sodas. There are also tablets with information about the cats and the café and there is wifi available. 

The café has a cosy atmosphere. It is on two floors and there are sofas to sit on and places for the cats to sit and relax. There is also quite a nice view of Tokyo from the windows.

 This is a picture of the cats during feeding time at the café.

The cat café is very cute and it is a fun place to visit. Even if you are not a cat person this café is still an interesting place to visit in Tokyo.  If you are a cat lover then you should definitely check out this café! 

Café information: Café Mocha in Shibuya Tokyo

You can find more information about this café on their website: http://catmocha.jp/

It is about a five minute walk from Shibuya Station in Tokyo.

The opening hours are from 10 am until 10 pm. The last entry is at 9 pm. Café Mocha has a few cat cafés in different locations in Tokyo. Some locations have different opening hours so please check on their the website. 

Ogaki Castle in Japan

When I lived in Japan I was very fortunate to live just a few streets away from a very beautiful castle.  Ogaki castle is located in Gifu prefecture in Japan. It is historically significant and famous for its role in the battle of Sekigahara. In 1600 it was used as a base by Lord Ishida Mitsunari. Lord Ishida Mitsunari and Utaki Hideie fought against the Tokugawa forces but Tokugawa managed to draw them out to the field of Sekigahara where they were defeated and Tokugawa Ieyasu’s troops won the battle. The Tokugawa clan ruled over Ogaki until the Toda clan came to power in 1635. The Toda clan then occupied Ogaki Castle until the feudal era ended with Meiji Period. Outside the castle there is a statue of Lord Toda Ujikane who was the castle Lord in 1653. 

My favorite time of year to visit this castle is during sakura cherry blossom season in April in Japan because the castle grounds are filled with beautiful cherry blossom trees.

 Inside the castle there is a museum with a nice display of Samurai armor, castle information, weapons and other historical artifacts. At the top of the castle there is an observatory deck. The admission fee to go inside the castle is 100 Yen.

At the top of the castle there is an observatory deck. You can open the windows to get a better view. On the day I went up to the observatory deck it was raining so the sky looks overcast in the pictures.

When I visited the castle and I saw two Japanese cosplayers outside the castle.

Next to the castle there is a nice park where many people go to relax. There is a jungle gym for children to play on and it is a good park for families to visit. 

This castle is historically significant in Japan and it is a good place to visit in Ogaki!

Information:

The admission fee to go inside the castle is 100 Yen. 
The castle is open from 9 am to 5 pm (enter by 4:30 pm) but it is usually closed on Tuesdays. 
This castle is close to Ogaki JR station. If you walk down main street for a couple of blocks and then turn right you should see signs showing the direction to the castle.
Address: Kuruwamachi 252, Ogaki City, Gifu 

Ogaki Festival in Japan!

I love festivals and I was delighted when my co-workers in Japan told me about the Ogaki matsuri. Matsuri is the Japanese word for festival. The Ogaki matsuri is Ogaki's biggest festival and it has a 360 year old history. It began when the neighborhoods surrounding Ogaki donated shrines and floats during the reconstruction of Ogaki Hachiman Shrine in 1648.

Ogaki is known for being the most centrally located city in Japan. It's also the second biggest city in Gifu Prefecture. When I was in Japan I lived and worked in Ogaki and this festival literally took place in the streets right outside my apartment building!

During the festival thirteen floats or "yama" of Ogaki are paraded through the streets of the city. On the streets there are many stalls that sell food and merchandise and offer fun games to play. My favourite float was the one with children dressed up as Maiko or Geisha on the float. 

In the evening the floats were decorated with lanterns which lit up at night. 

Some of the candy sold at the food stalls was so cute! I liked the character lollipops and the Minion bananas.

The Ogaki Matsuri is very interesting. It's a fun way to spend a weeked in Ogaki! I would recommend attending this festival if you happen to be in Japan and near to Ogaki city.

Festival (Matsuri) information:
Address: Ogaki Hachiman Shrine and the main street outside JR Ogaki Station.
1-1, Nishitogawacho, Ogaki, Gifu 503-0908
Ogaki city Japan

May 14 2016- May 15 2016