Sunday, December 22, 2013

Hoot Hoot!

That's one handsome bird.
No, it's not stuffed. That's an honest-to-god owl perched on my shoulder. It's real, quite lively, and will kindly nibble at your finger if you try to touch his chest.
 "But Sean!" says you. "That's a wild animal! It'll claw your eyes out!" Well, in normal circumstances, yes. But you see, this is an Owl Cafe! It's an interesting concept. Come in, have a drink, and play with a bunch of owls of varying sizes. They're sprouting up all around Japan, and Tokyo got its own not so long ago. This particular one is located in Tsukishima. That's rather convenient for me. I walk there quite easily.
 A fair warning! It's not all that easy to get in. The place has enough space for 10 people standing. You can't reserve by phone, so you have to actually get to the place, reserve, and then come back later in the day at the appointed time. It's not likely you'll manage to walk in. At least not during a weekend.

But that aside, once you do get it, it's quite a treat! There are a dozen different owls of varying sizes and species. Once everyone is seated and has ordered a drink (which is a requirement), the rules are spoken, and they're pretty reasonable. Treat the animals kindly. Don't cause panic. Ask if you want to hold an owl. And, most especially, don't let the big guys next to the small guys. Big owls eat smaller birds. That'd suck.
 Actually, all the owls in the owl cafe are actually for sale! They'll all cost you a fortune though, with the biggest ones a whopping 500,000¥. That's around 5800$ or so.
 Handling the owls made me think they're quite nice for pets, though! They're quiet, they don't smell, and they're pretty bad-ass to top it all off. The owls in the cafe are all docile and thoroughly domesticated, so they're very easy to handle and don't tend to shy away from being touched, held, or perched on your body.
Do I recommend a visit? Hell yes I do. Set aside the initial hassle of getting in, the place will only run you down a mere 800¥ or so, and that nets you a whole hour. You really can't go wrong.

No comments:

Post a Comment