Tokyo Snake Center ~Cafe & Snake~ — Restaurant in Tokyo

I’m conflicted what exactly to make of this place because on one hand it’s good for something like this to exist so that people can become more familiar with snakes which are unfairly maligned all too often. On the the other hand, you want to be able to enjoy this experience without feeling like you’re contributing to any sort of abuse (this is why despite how much I love foxes I will never visit the Zao Fox Village in Miyagi because it’s blatant animal cruelty). I did feel really sorry for the black snake Tetsurou that we chose as our table’s display snake (most snakes are display only because they don’t do well with interaction or will bite you) because he kept trying to push his way out of the display case.

I don’t know enough about snakes to determine whether there’s any animal abuse going on here, but I can say that the containers they’re housed in are pretty small. I do think the staff care about the snakes, though, because you’re limited to 5 minutes total per snake regardless of how big your party is because they don’t want to put too much stress on the snakes. This does mean, however, that you’re paying quite a bit just to play with a snake for five minutes. Since we chose two of the “special” snakes, we basically paid 9000 yen (about $60 USD) for just a ten minute experience. Again, I get conflicting feelings because a price like that seems to deserve a little more playtime, but I also don’t want the snakes to be overstimulated, and I’m okay with paying more if it means that the workers get fairer wages and the snakes better treatment (though whether that’s actually the case is impossible to know).

The experience itself of holding and petting the snakes is undoubtedly excellent. This was my first time interacting with one, so I was impressed with just how smooth their scales are and how cool their bodies feel on your neck in that uncomfortably hot store (endure it for the snakes!). They’re incredibly adorable, and there really isn’t anything quite like the sensation of a snake moving around in your hands and arms; it’s like a mass of pure muscle slowly writhing in your palm.

I definitely recommend going for the snake interaction experience if you’re going to come here because it’s pretty pointless to just sip drinks while just staring at a snake stuck in a box on your table, but picking the regular snakes is a far better value for what you...

Super therapeutic experience. They play nice ambient music and you are surrounded by snakes in enclosures.

When you come in they hand you a menu, and if you don't speak Japanese they provide an English menu. You are allowed to pick a snake to be your attendant. The entrance fee comes with a drink. You pay when you leave. I will add that the drinks and food itself aren't what you'll be spending the most money on. I only had my one included drink. The majority of my bill was the items I purchased from their tiny shop and the fees for handling the snakes. That being said, for the experience it's definitely affordable and worth it.

When you are seated you can pick your drink and your attendant is placed at the table. You are explained the rules (don't tap on the snake enclosure, don't bother the snake, etc) and are allowed to pick if you want to handle snakes. You can pick 2 snakes or 4 snakes.

I picked 2 snakes, and I payed the additional fee to be able to select a special snake (a bigger snake) as one of my snakes. I got Sen and Hijiki. They were super curious and so beautiful.

The service was very good. The employees were super kind and took great photos for me. They made my first experience a very memorable and pleasant one. This was the best customer service I've had at a Cafe so far.

I'll be back next week with my friends! I really...

I had an AMAZING time!!! I went alone but I had a fun time befriending my table snake - who you’re not allowed to touch - and then more fun holding two different snakes :) The entrance fee is about 10 USD and then there’s an additional ~5 USD charge to touch two “normal” snakes. If you want to touch cooler snakes it’s a lot more expensive. But it’s a great atmosphere! I wish the snakes had better environments but none of them seemed distressed since the place is quite quiet and the staff have lots of rules about how you can interact with them (no flash, no banging on glass, no touching table snakes, etc.) so maybe that’s why they’re still okay. I think the table snakes get the worst deal because they’re stuck in a very small clear box with minimal air holes and the only thing in the box is the snake and a very very small decoration that’s too small to hide under. I know they probably want customers to be able to see the snakes but maybe that is not so great for the snakes themselves. Either way the snakes were friendly and so were...