Japan never fails to spring surprises for people looking for eye-opening and unique experiences. Well known for its uncanny love affair with themed cafes, I decided to pay a visit to the highly raved Owl Cafe in Osaka with my family to have an immersive experience with the wise and intriguing birds.
Owl Family Café
I have to applaud the Japanese for this refreshingly charming concept where one can get up close and personal with the adorable owls. Our family headed straight to our destination on the second day of Osaka with great anticipation and excitement.
When we reached our destination, a lady came out of the sliding door and asked us politely if we had made a booking. Obviously we did not but we were fortunate there were available slots in the next time frame (on hourly basis). My advice is to head there early to leave your name so you have ample time to explore the surrounding area while waiting for your turn.
When we entered the café, we were greeted by fluffy owls of various species perching on their custom made bars. Some threw quick, perfunctory glances in our direction while some were in their sweet slumber.
The café was impressively clean and well maintained and there were about 20 owls in total, ranging from cute little ones to large and majestic types. We were a bit surprised at their nonchalant countenance and it seemed they already knew what to expect ( 9 to 5 job..aha). We were then ushered to our seats and after ordering our drinks, we were given a brief introduction of the do’s and don’ts in mixed Japanese and English with some hand gestures to make sure we understood and complied with their rules. Yes! You hear it right! Customers are allowed to pat the owls, but only on the head and back.
Next came what we had been looking forward to. Pick an owl of your choice and the friendly staff will hold the owl with care and then put it gingerly on your wrist or head unless you have no qualms of the owl pooping on your head. You have exactly an hour to spend quality time with the mysterious yet charming creature of your choice and the best part is you can always switch to other owls too when they are available.
Most of the owls are gentle and surprisingly well-mannered and they do not give a hoot about how many times you pat them. If the owl is a large one, it is advisable to wear a glove for better grip and also, there will be a safety rope tied to its leg to prevent it to take flight. My kids were having a whale of a time stroking, patting the owls and taking pictures with them. One thing that is worth mentioning is all the owls are treated amazingly with tender, love and care by their dedicated staff. It was indeed an ‘owlsome’ experience for families indeed. Thumbs up.
Let me sum up this interesting encounter in 3 words: Be memorably enchanted!
Cost: Adult- ¥1,500 per hourly session with 1 drink (+¥200 for beers), ¥1,000 for kids
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Saturday, Sunday, PH 11:00am – 8:00pm
CLOSED ON MONDAYS
Address: 1 Chome-10-13 Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 530-0041, Japan
Closest Station: Minami-Morimachi Station on the Sakaisuji or Tanimachi Line
Test Your Fear Factor Limit: The Rockstar Reptile Café
Life is too short not to get out of our comfort zone once in a while to look for unusual stuff to experience, especially when you are in Japan! Rockstar Reptile Café at Osaka is a unique destination that offers one of a kind encounter with the cold blooded reptiles where you can pat and cuddle them like a pet. The thought of it is already spine chilling and hair raising and It is definitely not suited for the faint-hearted. But if you want to test your fear factor limit or conquer your inner fear, this visit will undoubtedly give you a helping hand.
My kids gave me the sceptical and worried look at first but I managed to convince them it would turn out to be a super cool experience that they could share with their classmates and teachers. They nodded, giving me the benefit of the doubt. A smug grin spread across my face.
The Rockstar Reptile Café is nestled in a very quiet and inconspicuous alley of Osaka near Namba. Just before making our way to the entrance, my kids quivered with a mixture of anticipation and distress. I reassured them repeatedly everything would be fine while they followed closely behind me. Once we stepped into the café, an air of subtle spookiness welcomed us. One quick scan around the café and you will see all sorts of creepy crawlies and reptiles; Lizards, snakes, iguanas, geckos, tarantulas, chameleon and the list goes on. Most of them were kept in the glass tank while some were lying comfortably in deep slumber. We witnessed one iguana munching and chomping ravenously on his veggies.
There were already a few customers frolicking with snakes and iguanas on their hands, stroking them admiringly. The staff greeted and ushered us to our seats, briefed us through the drink menu and food selection. A minimum order of one beverage per person is required and every customer needs to seek the staff’s assistance to carry out your preferred creature from the tank and put it on your hand. Exciting yet unsettling indeed.
After my kids ordered their recommended hot chocolate with marshmallows, my bolder younger son was eager to cuddle the Mack Snow ( a.k.a gecko) as it looked pretty gentle and tame. “The skin is soft and rubbery,” he exclaimed in glee, showing off to his elder brother who was still cringing in a corner. “Take picture…take a picture..” he effused. The below pictures tell a thousand words and the good thing is there is no time limit for your playtime with your chosen one.
Next, both my younger son and I tried the baby corn snake with hues of pink as recommended by their staff. It was extremely docile and pleasing to the eyes, a good choice to start with for those who still get the heebie-jeebies holding a snake. Trust me!
After witnessing how comfortable my younger son and I were playing and stroking the friendly creatures, my wife and elder son plucked up their courage and proceeded to hold some harmless-looking snakes of their choice.
Then, one particular vibrantly colourful creature caught my eyes – the fascinating chameleon. It was a rare chance to hold a chameleon up close and so I wasted no time to submit my request. All of us were instantly captivated by this eye-catching creature with various shades of green and rotating eyes.
Chameleons have sharp and strong claws in order to hold onto branches and so we could literally feel their nails firmly perched onto our skins as it traipsed along our arm and hand, looking bemused at our giggles and excitement. We snapped a lot of pictures and it was an amazing experience indeed.
Kudos to my younger son who attempted to handle and wrap the hostile looking python around his neck and I could literally hear his heart pounding like a herd of galloping horses. A feather in his cap for this brave feat.
Needless to say, it was an extraordinary and memorable experience but due to our time constraint, we were not able to try out the rest of the creepy crawlies such as tarantula and centipede(the staff told us not every creature was available at that time. Phew!). I highly recommend to those who want to try something uniquely different. As the former first lady of USA, Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” After this visit, I am pretty positive that you will morph from a scaredy-cat to a majestic and proud lion.
For a one time fee of ¥1,000 (non-inclusive of drinks), you get a membership that allows you to visit the cafe again in the future for free. The main perk is you can enjoy unlimited playtime with these reptiles and creepy crawlies.
Cost: ¥1,000
Opening hours: 12:00pm – 11:00pm
Address: Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi Nanbanaka 2-7-7 Namba FK building 3F
Japan, 〒556-0011 Ōsaka-fu, 大阪市浪速区Naniwa-ku, Nanbanaka, 2 Chome−7−7, ナンバ ＦＫ ビル 3F ( closest train station: Namba)
