Relax With Owls At Akiba Owl Cafe In Tokyo's Electric Town

Relax With Owls At Akiba Owl Cafe In Tokyo's Electric Town
Miki
Miki 
Updated
| 3 min read

“Akibafukurou” (Akiba Owl) opened it’s doors on August 8th, 2014 in Akihabara. Only 2 minutes’ walk from the station, they provide an oasis of cuteness and relaxation in such a stress filled life. The doll like Owls’ adorably round eyes are perfectly complimented by Northern European furniture creating a posh space. You are free to take pictures of and with owls freely here. You can definitely experience a unique day here.

Owls enjoy Mozart during closing time

relax with owls at akiba owl cafe in tokyo's electric town | owls enjoy mozart during closing time

A brand new space opened on August 8th, 2014 that turns traditional methods of relaxation on its head, allowing you to come into contact with owls, animals that you regularly will never get to meet.

The owner of Akibafukurou opened it based on the want for people to experience a new method of relaxation. Also a wedding planner he uses that experience and artistic eye to create an impressive yet easygoing space.

Akibafukurou focuses on 3 things music, lighting, and finally color. The softly piped in music is of piano and harp solos comforting the patrons, changing instruments every hour to create a different atmosphere. During closing time they play Mozart to relax the owls!

Indirect lighting make the interior glow gently in a bath of ivory. There is no smell thanks to air purification and frequently changing the air.

Akibafukurou has 12 different species of owls, raised by people lovingly they enjoy the human touch and welcome it. They seem almost doll-like in their cuteness.

Directions there are ridiculously simple. Only a 2 minute walk from Akihabara Station. Take the next alleyway down from the Yodobashi Camera and you will see a white building (東畑ビルToubata Bldg.). You will find them on the first floor next to Marukin Sushi (丸金寿司)

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How to experience Akibafukurou

relax with owls at akiba owl cafe in tokyo's electric town | how to experience akibafukurou

While the online reservation system is still under construction, you have the option of actually going there to get a number ticket or reserving via email. *the schedule of giving out the number tickets is posted on Akibafukurou’s blog. It’s safe to check there before going.

The shop opens at 11am but depending on the owls’ condition the time might change unexpectedly. The business hours are also posted on the blog.

10 minutes prior to entry you’ll receive an Akibafukurou custom info booklet. Available in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean the booklet is easy to read and understand for all those first time owl handlers. A few staff who speak a little bit of English and Spanish, make this a great place to take visitors to Japan as well.

Seating is available for up to 25 people but keeping the owls’ wellbeing in mind the seating is usually kept to 10 people per session. Entrance fee is a low 1500 yen per person, which includes one bottle of mineral water. Tuesday is the shops day off.

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Touching the kawaii owls!

relax with owls at akiba owl cafe in tokyo's electric town | touching the kawaii owls!

All the owls in the shop were born in 2014 and are still in the chick stage. Each ball of feathers’ softness is different so it’s a good idea to experience as many as you can.

To touch an owl you should be very deliberate in your movements expressing that you will now touch them, and lightly petting their head. This way the owls won’t be surprised and will snuggle up to you.

Pictured here is Yamashita-san. Named so, as he has a face like a wise old man. He is the shop favorite. When being petted, he narrows his eyes ever so adorably. By the way his specialty is a fast getaway.

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Try having the owl rest on your arm

relax with owls at akiba owl cafe in tokyo's electric town | try having the owl rest on your arm

Another service that Akibafukurou provides is you can have an owl perch on your forearm.

Super easy. All you need to do is wrap the rope around your finger and let the bird hop onto your arm.

Oh, and if you worry about the claws hurting, don’t. All the owls are meticulously looked after and the claws don’t hurt at all. Only when you want to have the large owls perch is when you’ll need a glove. During the whole process you will have a staff member next to you guiding you so throw any worries out the window.

Once on your arm you can observe the owl very closely. I was surprised to learn the swiveling head can turn a full 270 degrees!

You can lose a lot of time just watching the cuteness of these owls.

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Inseparable "Shirasu" and "Monja". Just too cute!

inseparable "shirasu" and "monja". just too cute!

All the way back from the entrance you’ll find the Barn Owl area. The owls made famous in the Harry Potter movies.

Amongst all the beautiful birds you’ll find that two are inseparable in particular. (pictured above left is “Shirasu”, the blacker one is “Monja”). It’s hard to determine the sex of an owl so you can have fun wondering if they are family or maybe even lovers.

There are seats scattered throughout Akibafukurou, so you can take a seat and observe and touch the owls in detail.

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Free! Make a post card with your favorite owl!

“Fukurou de Foto” a fun service that Akibafukurou provides. They will take a high quality picture of you and your favorite owl, and even laminate it for you as a post card. Many take one home as a token of their experience here.

The motto here is comforting entertainment. Taking us visitors to a dream universe.

Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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