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Feeling burnt out? Get an hour of tranquility with an intriguing animal by your side.

By on November 17, 2021

Coping with pandemic stress?  Visiting an owl café in Tokyo can have a therapeutic effect on one’s feeling of well-being.

Tokyo’s unique animal cafés where people can walk in and pet cute creatures started with cats. With its gradual claim to fame, visitors now have a wider choice of animals to pet ranging from social canines, teethy bunnies, spiny hedgehogs, nonpoisonous snakes or even mysterious owls.

If your children haven’t seen a real owl in your life, Akiba Fukurou, a popular petting cafe in Akihabara is a good place to start. Owned by an English-speaking couple who love owls, it is one of the largest and most popular animal cafés in Tokyo with about 40 different types of healthy-looking night and day birds in a tranquil setting. The place isn’t that big with just one table and some stools thus, reservation through its website is recommended.

For 2,000 yen, you get an hour with the owl you choose to pet. There’s a name listed for each one with a short profile below with birthday, weight and pesonality. Before you get started, the cafe staff will explain the nature of the owl and give useful tips on how to behave around the pet.

Owls aren’t by nature social animals and are happy being lonely. They aren’t accustomed to loud noise, sudden movements or being stroked by hand.  Just a gentle finger tap works. There are no meltdowns allowed in the place so children younger than 7 are generally not allowed.

Owls belong to Strigiformes bird type divided into two family groups – the barn owls with heart-shaped faces and the Strigidae with generally round faces.

Akiba Fukurou Owl Cafe is just 3-4 minutes walk from Akihabara station.

Address: Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Kanda Neribeicho, ６７

Tel. No. 03-6206-4095

About Tammy Lee