Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?

Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?

Forget cat cafes. Or blackcat cafes. Or penguin bars. Japan’s latest novelty cafe is the “fukurou cafe” (フクロウカフェ), or the “owl cafe.”

Owl cafes like Fukurou no Mise (“Owl Shop”) and Tori no Iru Cafe (“The Cafe with Birds”) started getting noticed online in Japan late last year.

This summer saw more owl cafes open, and currently there are owl cafes like Fukurou Sabou (“Owl Teahouse”) in Tokyo, Owl Family in Osaka, and Crew, another owl cafe in Osaka, among others.

Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?

The owl cafes vary. Some of the cafes even serve owl-themed snacks. Some of them allow you to hold the birds while you drink coffee, while others have much stricter rules about handling then animals.

Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?
Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?

But before you think owl cafes are the greatest thing ever, here’s what one U.K. owl sanctuary has to say about keeping the animals as pets: “Our basic advice to those who may be considering keeping an owl as a pet is — DON’T.” The sanctuary added that they’re noisy, smelly, and warned that, yes, they can be dangerous. So, maybe don’t bring little kids to these cafes?

Then, there’s the fact that these are nocturnal animals, awake during the day for the customers… Maybe, they’re on a different sleeping rhythm, but still, I wouldn’t want someone screwing up my sleep schedule.

Who Thinks Japan’s Owl Cafes Are A Hoot?

Photos: ayano19920319, Crew, AreaBaby, sleepykkk, aamemiii, 鳥のいる, Trendy, FG_75, Daily, diyghr, okhr24, ryukichisan, eiraku, tktk1031, supermillmill, kamb_or_tp, ikuyoueda, tech_k, りきや, おりと

To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft.

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.


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