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Visiting Tokyo’s Owl Cafe: Fukuro no Mise

Tokyo's Owl Cafe - Fukuro no mise

I had heard of cat cafes, but it wasn’t until this weekend that I was introduced to an owl “cafe.” My friend, Shannon, had sent me a Buzzfeed article with a list of wacky things to try in Tokyo. At the top of the list was visiting Fukuro no Mise – an owl cafe. It had awesome reviews on TripAdvisor and Google…and wasn’t too far away from us, so, my husband and I decided to see what it was all about!

We arrived an hour before it opened to make a reservation (they don’t take reservations until the day of)…and then we went and had a snack at a neighboring cafe. (Fukuro no Mise does not serve food.)

What to Expect When Visiting Fukuro no Mise

Fukuro no mise
The outside of Fukuro no Mise.

When I think of cafes, I think of something similar to Starbucks. That was surely not the case with Fukuro no Mise! It’s a dimly lit building filled with various breeds of owls on perches, and you get one (non-alcoholic) beverage included in the price of your reservation (roughly $20 USD), and they also gave us a cute piece of owl jewelry when we were leaving.

How it works is the staff allows 12 people in at a time, and you get one hour at the cafe to interact with the tame owls. The staff sits everyone down before they enter to go over how to interact with the owls and explain that these are not wild owls, but they were raised from baby on by Fukuro no Mise’s owner (which is why they don’t mind people).

“You can have an owl perched on your hand or shoulder (some people wanted the smaller ones on their heads for photos as well), but the staff must assist you with doing so. You can only lightly touch the top of the owl’s head, moving from front to back – don’t ruffle their feathers or touch any other part of them. You are not allowed to wear perfume around the owls, as this can be harmful to them. Don’t make any sudden movements, loud noises or take photos with a flash.”

I had been a bit worried that it would be a people just doing whatever they wanted with the owls – so, I was relieved to see there were rules (and staff) in place to keep the owls safe.
Fukuro no Mise

We were also warned that the owls could, ah, poo on you at any given moment. Haha. Which did happen to both my husband and me! The little guy I had perched on my hand, got my shoes…and my husband had a little one perched on his shoulder when it happened. Haha. But the staff was ready and cleaned us both up in no time!

Fukuro no Mise

It was really exciting to be so close to so many different breeds of owls! I honestly didn’t even touch my drink.

Fukuro no mise

Also, the owls all appeared to be well-cared for and healthy, and they were very calm around us, but I do wonder how healthy it is to have these little guys around people during the daytime…as many owls are nocturnal?

Fukuro no Mise

Overall, this was quite the memorable experience! But I’m not sure how far I will get on the rest of that bizarre Buzzfeed list… I do like the sounds of the Hello Kitty theme park, though! (I’ve been a huge Hello Kitty fan for forever!)

Also, I will talk a bit more about how I’m adjusting to life in Tokyo and some of the more traditional exploring/traveling plans I have in store in Wednesday’s outfit post! I will also be back to normal on social media this week and checking out all my lovely fellow bloggers’ posts. Although, I’ll be replying to comments at different times of the day, now. 🙂 Thank you all for sticking with me through this transition! I’ll leave you with a few more owl photos, and see you all on Wednesday!

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Visiting Tokyo’s Owl Cafe: Fukuro no Mise
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28 Comments

  1. This is the first time I have heard of such cafe.. I’ll add this to my bucket list. How awesome it would be to see, touch and spend with owls. I am curious how the owls are doing with people at daytime since they are nocturnal.

    (◕‿◕✿) http://www.EmoteraGoddess.com

    1. It was such a cool experience! And the owls seemed in good health when we were there, however, I was wondering the same thing.

  2. OMG! I totally eny this trip! It is so unique and at the same fun. The pics of the owls from your post are all super cute. You made me wonder though why are these owls awake since they are nocturnal creatures. Thanks for this fun post babe! xx

    www.prettyweirdbombshell.com

    1. Aw, thank you so much! This was quite the unique experience! And all the owls were so adorable! It was dark(ish) in the “cafe” but I still wonder if it’s ok for them to be up during the day? They did seem healthy, though. Thank you so much for reading! 🙂

  3. What a strange place! I agree with you that it wouldn’t be as much fun if it was an owl free-for-all…it’s nice that you had rules and staff nearby! It’s also pretty awesome that they cleaned up your poop (well, not YOUR poop, lol)….they must be used to that every day!

    ~Jen
    dressingwithclassblog.wordpress.com

    1. Haha, agreed, it was such a bizarre place. Lol! I’m pretty sure they have to clean up poop (owl poop that is, haha) quite frequently! 😉

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