The Musashino Café and Bar – Owl Village, or as it’s easier to say, ‘The Village Owl Café’, is an interesting concept café located in the bustling and colourful district of Harajuku in Tokyo. I took a little visit back in May last year and only now have I got around to writing about it.

Another instance I guess of questioning if it is ‘right’ to visit such a place. Japan I am pretty sure pioneered ‘pet cafes’, the most common type being the Cat Café, which honestly didn’t really appeal to me and I have never visited. For some context, there are dog cafes as well as cat cafes, but I also walked past a hedgehog café and I recently discovered there is a café featuring mini-pigs!

What is and isn’t considered ‘pet material’ varies from country to country, and so it may seem really weird to think of an owl as a pet, but in Japan people do keep owls as best friends. It’s a cultural thing and so it’s hard to judge but generally these kind of novelty cafes are not set up with animals that are not kept as pets.

Having said that, in Australia and many other countries, keeping an owl as a pet is illegal, because they are birds of prey. One thing I can say about the owls in this café, all 18 of them, is that they all seemed domesticated and calm. I think the staff do care for the owls very well, they take them out for daily walks/flights in the nearby Yoyogi Park (attached to a leash) so they can have exercise. But at the same time they have no freedom, no freedom to fly where they want.

As one of the workers at the café said, if they were given their freedom they have grown up as pets. They would not be able to defend themselves from other, bigger birds out there and they would become the prey. It’s a fine line perhaps.

Inside the café you have a certain amount of time. Every hour the owls have time spent with customers and then time to rest, I think around 30 minutes each. First you sit down at a table, you can choose a cake and drink and enjoy that whilst the birds rest and the staff explain the dos and don’ts to you.

Then you go into the sun room where most of the owls are. You can pet them (in a certain way) and the staff give you a special long glove so that an owl can stand on your arm for a little while for photos. Some of the owls are tied to their perches, and one fell of the perch and couldn’t get back on which I pointed out as it was distressing and the staff helped it out.

There’s a range of different owl species, and to be fair it is kinda cool to have an owl perching on your arm. But there is no denying the moral issues I feel. And again I sort of regret going in the end. But then again – am I just being culturally insensitive here?

It’s certainly a place that a lot of tourists come for. Almost all the customers were foreigners. They have timed entry too and it’s best to book online if you feel it’s for you at their website – HERE – as they do get booked out. You can turn up and chance it, but it was pretty much totally sold out for the whole day I went and I was glad to have booked in advance.

All in all, it’s questionable at best but the owls are beautiful. I know I seem to do things and then question the morality of visiting places like this somewhat often. Sometimes curiosity gets the better of me. Tell me your thoughts in the comments, please!

Thanks for popping in today! Take care wherever you may be in the world right now – May the Journey Never End!