Owl Village Cafe Harajuku — Restaurant in Tokyo

Great owl Cafe. Staff very nice. We arrive 10 minutes early. But the staff ask us to stay outside the store. Don't want to get too crowded in the store. Which is great that the staff do care the whole environment even though the owls are in a room. As all the people left. We went inside. I saw the owl room is locked and 1 of staff is feeding the owl. And some owl is walking freely on the ground. So not really tied up for the whole business hour. Then we sit down have a drink until 15 minutes later, the staffs let us go inside with another 4 more customers. Before going in, the staff would like us to read the rule and regulations for going inside to see the owls. Since we can't speak Japanese. They have designated a staff who can speak English to serve us. When we are inside. They introduce the owl 1 by 1. They all have different characters. I believe 1 or 2 owl that we can not touch. Some owls may allow us to touch the head and some owls only allowed us to rub the cheek or neck area. If you want an owl to stand on your hand, then you need to ask the staff to do that. The staff will bring you a glove, then the staff will bring the owl slowly and walk onto your glove and then you can take pictures. Also important that no flashes lights are allowed because it will damage the owls eyesight. Some owl when you touch. They will try to sneak away or try not to let you touch or rub it. Then you automatically won't continue to disturb the owl. As times go by. Those owl may let you touch or rub again. Maybe they can feel that you are not harmful to them. I also see a staff keep spraying some water on one of owl. And you can see the owl really really enjoy that. I ask quite a few questions and the staff is willing to answer one by one. Like they do bring the owls to the yoyogi park to exercise and they won't be tied up at night. I even ask that where do they get these owls and they said they get them from the breeder. Just like we get a dog from the breeder. In Japan, family can get an owl as their pet. I said to my wife maybe we should live in japan. By the time reach the 50. The staffs remind us is end of the sessions. And they leads us out of the room. And the owls get their break. Since we bought a package. We do get 2 souvenirs. And we even bought 2 stuff animal owls too. I believe if everyone do follow the rules and regulations. The owls are really welcome human with...

What an amazing experience! So glad we found this owl cafe. It was easy to reserve the time slot online and they have an English version which helped. You also need to buy tickets in addition to the reservation, but there is a discount if you buy them online ahead of time. We were able to buy the tickets same day and reserved a few days in advance.

It is in a great location, close to Harajuku train station, and Takeshita Street. Try to arrive just a few minutes before your time as they don’t allow you to wait inside as it is a smaller space but super intimate experience with the owls. You walk in and there’s already owls right there. You have two options to choose from which is either a drink and souvenir or drink and dessert. Everything was super cute from the decor to dessert/souvenirs.

A lot of owls to interact with and admire! The staff were super friendly from start to finish. They really cared about the owls, knew them well, gave good instructions, and made sure everyone’s experience was super personalized. Kudos to the staff for making sure everyone was taken care of from the owls to the people. It was very clean and did not smell at all. There was only one accident on the floor and the staff made sure to clean it right away. Heard about other places that were smelly and this place exceeded our expectations. We were able to interact with the animals and feed them. It lasted about 60 minutes and you can really get your once in a lifetime owl experience here. My whole family loved it and it will probably be one of the highlights of our Japan trip....

Owls look well cared for and have freedom that other places like this don't appear to offer. I did not regret visiting. Just be sure to do research and make sure places like this are right for you. Also, make sure you find the right place. This is Owl Village Harajuku, 4F, near the station.

To expand further: The staff do appear to genuinely love the owls, and they prioritize their care and comfort. I never saw any signs of stress or mistreatment. The owls were also walking and flying around freely while I was there.

Out of all the places like this, I think Owl Village Harajuku is at the top.

UPDATE Nov. 3rd: Added a new picture from my second visit. After visiting again, my original opinion remains unchanged. Owls appear well cared for and have freedom to move around.

One of them did have to be tied on while I was there this time, because they nearly crashed at one point. They were let loose again after calming down a bit. I felt this was done for their safety, and do not believe it to be a common occurrence. Specifically, it was one of the barn owls (the one that loves to perch on top of the shark plush).

Again, I did not see anything during my second visit which caused me to reconsider my original review.

Picture: I brought a Hoothoot plush from the Pokemon Center this time. Bob proceeded to crap on the floor, pounce on the plush, and then carry it up to his corner, which is the second...