CAPPINESS Shinjuku Capybara Cafe — Restaurant in Tokyo

Absolutely incredible family experience at CAPPINESS!

Visited with my wife, daughter, and in-laws - what a unique and delightful 45 minutes with the three resident capybaras! Located on the 9th floor in Takadanobaba (just a short walk from the station), CAPPINESS offers something truly special in Tokyo that brought our whole family together.

The ¥4,000 fee includes everything - capybara snacks and a wonderful interactive experience. The staff provides clear English instructions for international guests, making everyone feel welcome and ensuring safe interactions with these gentle giants.

What I loved most was watching my daughter's face light up as she fed the capybaras - they're incredibly calm and sweet animals that seemed to sense her gentle nature. Even my in-laws, who were initially curious about this "unusual Tokyo activity," were completely charmed by these peaceful creatures. The 45-minute session flies by as everyone becomes absorbed in their serene personalities. It's such a therapeutic break from Tokyo's bustling energy and created memories we'll treasure forever.

The setup is thoughtfully designed - while it's not a traditional cafe (drinks are self-service), the focus is entirely on the capybara experience, which is exactly what you want. The booking system is straightforward through their website, and the reservation requirement ensures a quality, uncrowded experience.

The location in Takadanobaba is convenient - easy to reach from Shinjuku or Shibuya via the Yamanote Line, or even a quick taxi ride. Finding it on the 9th floor adds to the sense of discovering a hidden gem above the city.

This is definitely a must-do family experience in Tokyo! It's perfect for multiple generations - our daughter loved the hands-on interaction, while the adults appreciated the peaceful, meditative quality of spending time with these gentle animals. The capybaras are clearly well-cared for, and the intimate setting makes for an unforgettable family bonding experience. Book in advance - it's absolutely worth it for creating special...

I think only in Tokyo can you book some time to play with Capybara’s. I knew I had to do it!

Wasn’t sure what to expect but when I arrived I saw I had to make an advance reservation. So I scanned the QR outside the building and ten minutes later I was in.

Each session is 50 minutes for ¥3800. It’s not cheap but it’s fun and where else can you pat and feed such an exotic animal.

When you go up to the cafe they have a drink dispenser if you want a drink. Your purse or bag goes into a cubby and you sanitize your hands. Then they let you in and give you a cup of banana leaves to feed the capys.

Immediately the capys come to you to get the food. They are only interested in you as long as you have what they want. They aren’t affectionate like dogs but more like goats. You can pat them and rub them and they are very tolerant. They occasionally run and jump and play amongst themselves.

The person in charge will have additional feed in his pocket to get them to come to you when you’ve exhausted your banana leaves. They will offer to take pics of you with them as well. On your own phone so no upsell here.

Then you go outside and they have all three capys line up with food dishes and you can pose behind them for pics.

All in all it was a fun experience if you’ve never done it before. Tokyo has lots of animal experiences from owls to otters to capybaras and even rabbits small pets and cats and dogs. I wanted to do the capybara because who ever gets to play with one of those!

Give it a shot and you’ll have a fun time.

Pro Tip: rip your banana leaves in half lengthwise to double the amount of food you have for...

Unfortunately fell victim to this tourist trap. Not a café by any stretch of the imagination; a petting zoo in all but name.

On reservation, the price displayed is per person, not per group as what is displayed suggests. An absolute rip-off. Ended up being ¥8,000 for two people. The group of people you end up entering with (non-exclusive reservations) will contain at least one influencer taking videos with reckless abandon, often including you in the shot.

The air conditioning ceiling units (both of them) were extremely mouldy. I'm surprised the employees haven't gotten sick yet.

The drinks machine is there almost only as a wall piece. A roadside vending machine has more variety. No coffee, no pastries/food, and the drinks aren't even allowed in the same area as the capybara.

One of the "highlights" was a dice-roll opportunity afforded to customers where you could win small bits of merchandise, or an extra cup of grass to feed the capybara. Felt extremely cheap and stingy for the price of admission.

The only saving graces were that the employees were kind and welcoming, and were clearly trying to provide for an enjoyable experience. They treated the capybara with care. It also seems that all the needs of the captive-born animals were catered for (barely), though I'll leave the truth behind their providence...