I’ve said this before but I’ve never been a huge fan of cat cafes because I hate cats (sorry, cat people!) but mostly because I’m deathly allergic to them. So naturally, I was never interested and didn’t think much of animal cafes until they started opening cafes with other animals! I recently posted about the Bird Cafe which is by far, my favorite animal cafe so far.
But being a Harry Potter fan (I’ve accepted my fate as a Slytherin) and intrigued by owls in general (they’re so majestic!), I knew I had to visit the ever popular Owl Cafes. There are several throughout Tokyo alone and I know it’s hard to pick, especially if you’re not familiar with the city or the Japanese language in general. So here’s 6 reasons why you should visit THIS Owl Cafe in Tokyo and forget the others.
1. Location: The location of this Owl Cafe is ideal. You know the first image you see or imagine when you think, “Tokyo”? That huge, busy crossing? Yup, that’s it. Also known as Shibuya, the center of all the action. From that exact exact crossing, it’s about a quick 10 minute walk. You can spend an hour at the Owl Cafe and then go venture through Shibuya; eat something delicious, shop for awesome things, etc.
2. Price: More pricing details are below but I wanted to point out that this Owl Cafe’s very reasonable in comparison to other popular Owl Cafes. Plus, it includes a drink! If you want to pay 200 yen more, you can even get an alcoholic beverage. Read below for more details.
3. The Owls: I was told by one of the employees that most of the owls here are rescued owls and I loved that so much! The sad news is, none of them are capable of going back into the wild as they won’t survive the conditions. The good news? Their jobs are to bring smiles to children and adult’s faces alike.
4. Coupons: Not only are other Owl Cafes in Tokyo more expensive, they certainly don’t have any ‘deals’. This Owl Cafe in Shibuya has a couple of coupons on their website. Click here for it.
5. Super Cozy: When you enter the cafe, it’s like entering somebody’s living room…..that owns a ton of owls, haha! The seating is comfortable with tons of leather sofas and just a charming, small space where guests get to feel cozy and so do the owls. The owners and employees there are also very friendly. They don’t speak great English at all but they’ll try their best to communicate. Don’t quote me on this but because I went there during a less busy time, they let us stay for an extra 20 minutes or so without charging us.
6. Freedom: The owls aren’t chained to cages or restricted in any way. You may see a rope tied to their leg in photos and that’s actually because of all the freedom. Some of the owls will fly away into a corner where nobody can reach! Of course, only the owners are allowed to pull the rope and I saw them do it; it’s a very gentle tug and the owl knows to fly down. Otherwise, you’ll find them sprinting (literally) across the floor, visiting you on the couch, flying across the room to bug another owl or hanging out with the cafe owner; I love that they’re free!
How It Works & Prices:
Basic Fees:
- 30 minutes + 1 drink = $1,500
- 1 hour + 1 drink = $2,500
- Half-off for children (children cannot touch the owls)
Add-Ons:
- Feeding: 500 yen (after 8PM)
- Hands: 500 yen
If you can read Japanese, you can make reservations online right here. If not, give them a call as they speak basic (very basic) English.
Again, here’s a couple of coupons you can use, too! You can either print it or show it on your screen when you get there.
Information:
Cafe Hoot Hoot Shibuya
Address: 10-16 Shinsen-Cho, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Phone: 03-6778-2364
Website: https://www.cafehoothoot.com/
Closest Station: Shibuya
Want more Tokyo posts? Click here. Want more general Japan posts? Click here.
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OMG! This is so cool. If (when) I got to Tokyo, I'm going to spend all my time at animal cafes haha It's nice to see that the owls here have some freedom to fly around instead of being caged up. #FlyAwayFriday
I've never even heard of owl cafes! I must confess that I'm a big cat fan but I would definitely want to check out one of these places. I imagine it gets a bit scary f they start flying everywhere though! #flyawayfriday
Japan has so many different kinds of cafes! I personally am interested in going to a butler one and pug one! Thanks for sharing your experience and definitely it reminded me of Harry Potter! All of the owls are so cute, pinned! #flyawayfriday
I wish owl cafes were a thing when I lived in Japan years ago! Owls really intrigue me. I'd love to get close to some and spend some time with them!
How interesting! Do they have enough space there? Sibce they're hunters and all? They look so beautuful don't, they?
#FlyAwayFriday
Owls are so beautiful I'd love to get close to them like this but was worried about their treatment. Its nice to see their quite free… #FlyAwayFriday
I've heard of cat cafes but I've never heard of owl cafes. I'm glad to hear that the owls seem to be well taken care of. #FlyAwayFriday
How interesting. I had no idea such a thing exists as an owl café! I love finding out about these unique little corners of Tokyo through your blog. #FlyAwayFriday
Hang about! "Not only are other Owl Cafes more expensive…" There are OTHER Owl Cafes? That's pretty awesome in itself. And I love that you got your Harry Potter fix at this one! I am get to a cat cafe, but I have the luxury to go anytime since I'm not deathly allergic. #FlyAwayFriday
Hmm…this is interesting and I did not know this was a thing. Honestly, I don't know if I like it or could support it. I would have to look into more of where the owls come from. Owls are such different animals than say a domesticated dog or cat. It does seem nice at least these owls get to fly, but I am not sure if this is something I could get on board with. Thanks for sharing this experience. flyawayfriday
I've deathly allergic to cats too! Your hometown has the coolest things to do. I've always been uber fascinated with owls. I think I used to be scared of them too. Love that most of these owls were rescues. #FlyAwayFriday
I can't believe they even had a Hedwig in there! So cool! I like that these are rescue owls, but would't the cafe be full of bird poop? How do they control that? #flyawayfriday
Oh man, I tried to go to an owl cafe when I was in Japan, but they were all booked up so I never got to. But I guess I'll just have to go back now 🙂
#flyawayfriday
I've never heard of owl (or cat) cafes. Very interesting. I am so glad to hear they are rescues. Something very different to do and see! #FlyAwayFriday
I love owls so much. I would totally love to go to this cafe. With each post like this, you are building my desire to go to Japan! #flyawayfriday
Hahaha I love it! Seriously, every time I go back I want to hit up an animal cafe because it's so unique and fun! 😀 xo
If you're a cat fan, there's cat cafes EVERYWHERE through Japan! Haha, yes it got a little scary when they flew but I would just duck 😀 xo
Omg there's a butler one?? I need to look this up right now, haha! Thanks so much for stopping by and pinning, Hanna! xo
It's AMAZING to see them in person. Some of them will even want you to pet them, which blew my mind. They're soft, magical and super adorable! Hopefully you'll get to visit them soon! xo
I'm guessing they don't have as much space as they 'should' as far as sizes of forests go, but they definitely have more freedom than any other owl cafe I've seen on blogs! xo
Me too! I was weary of going to some of the more popular owl cafes because they're all chained up but I really appreciated how different this one was. They seem to be treated well! xo
Yes! Me too. I'm glad they could fly around freely! xo
Awww thank you! 🙂 xo
Hahaha, YES there's tons actually! But the super popular ones don't treat the owls well (I don't think….) so I was happy to find this one. xo
Totally understand where you're coming from! There's tons of animal cafes in Japan and there are quite a few owl cafes too. The more popular ones cage their owls and personally don't think they're treated as well as they should be. However, this one was well researched by me and because I speak Japanese fluently, they weren't about to bullshit me about the owl's past, needs, etc. I did love that children in a big city that can't otherwise interact with animals could do so in the best way possible for both the owls and kids, especially if these owls were going to die in the wild due to their various conditions! Thanks for stopping by! xo
Yes! Super cool and fascinating! It was amazing to feel how soft they were, too! xo
Haha such a great question! It's pretty crazy because they have this huge wooden hut where they could all fit at once if they wanted to – and all the poop was there! It's like they were trained to poop in just the hut. Wild, right?! xo
Yes! There's a lot more now and if you can, I would go to this one since the other popular ones aren't rescue owls sadly 🙁 xo
Yes! Definitely different and a fascinating experience. I loved that the kids there were mesmerized because kids in Tokyo would never have access to interact with owls otherwise! xo
Haha, yay! I hope you make it out to Japan someday! xo