Owl Cafes in Japan: Are They Ethical?

If you’re planning to visit an owl cafe in Tokyo, or other types of animal cafes in Japan, you may want to reconsider…

As cat cafes have become pretty standard across the globe, people feel like they need to step up their game. Japan (as always) seems to be one step ahead. Hedgehogs, bunnies, even penguins; Japan seems to have a cafe for any type of animal.

One of the options includes owl cafes. During my very first visit to Japan back in 2018, I wasn’t quite sure about these types of cafes. I don’t really feel comfortable spending my money on things I don’t believe in or places that clash with my values and beliefs, and I wasn’t sure if visiting an owl cafe in Japan was all that ethical.

We did end up going to Owl Village in Harajuku, and there is a reason I haven’t included it in any of my recommended itineraries.

In this article, I want to tackle the question I battled with for a bit: Are animal cafes cruel and should you visit them in Japan? I hope the information below helps you make an informed decision about whether or not you want to visit an owl cafe in Tokyo or not.

About Animal Cafes in Japan

The first cat cafe in Tokyo opened around 2004. Since then, these types of animal cafes have been a huge hit. It’s a place where people can pay a few hundred yen to spend some time with animals. You can pet them, feed them, take pictures, you name it.

Especially in busy cities like Tokyo, these types of cafes seem to do especially well. It provides a place for animal interaction for those who aren’t able to get a pet themselves, as many apartments in large cities like Tokyo don’t allow pets.

And I get it!

Cuddling with a cat has been proven to reduce stress levels. On top of that, paying a bit of money to spend 30 minutes with a cat takes away all the unpleasant responsibilities of owning an animal. No need to clean litter boxes, feed them or take them to the vet when they’re sick.

Cats are domestic animals, and when looked after properly, cats in these cafes can live a very happy life. But problems arise when you take it further and start housing animals in cafes that are not domesticated. In Tokyo alone, you can find cafes with owls, bunnies, Shiba puppies, hedgehogs, snakes, goats, micropigs, and penguins. Yes… penguins!

Our Experience Visiting an Owl Cafe in Tokyo

On our first day in Japan, we visited Owl Village in Harajuku. Rather than it being an owl cafe, it’s more like an “interactive exhibition”. Instead of sitting down in a cafe with an owl, you walk through a room where you can find different owls to admire.

Before visiting it, I thought it seemed a lot better than a brightly lit cafe. I even read some very positive reviews on TripAdvisor, which made us decide to give it a go.

Even though the owls did seem healthy and looked after properly, the whole experience felt wrong.

Yes, the lights were dimmed, our hands were disinfected before touching the owls, and the staff asked us not to use flash when taking photos. But seeing owls chained down to a fake tree where they are forced to be awake during times they usually sleep seemed cruel.

These birds are wild animals. It felt wrong that they weren’t able to fly if they wanted to or avoid the visitors if they didn’t want to be touched. Even though Owl Village is probably one of the better ones out there and seems to look after its birds, it still felt strangely unsettling.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit Owl Cafes in Japan

Owl cafes, in particular, seem to be getting more and more popular in Japan. In the Japanese language, “owl” shares the same word as “good luck” (fukuro). Add that to their big, kawaii eyes and some cute latte art, and you’ve got yourself a big money-maker.

Let’s be honest, owls are beautiful creatures. Who wouldn’t want to see one up close?

However, when doing some more research into the phenomenon, I read an article by someone who used to work in an owl cafe. They shared how inhumane the conditions are for the animals. After having visited Owl Village myself, I wasn’t too surprised.

I decided not to include any animal cafes in my Tokyo itinerary and my Japan itinerary because it didn’t feel right to promote/support a place that left such a bad taste in my mouth. After reading the article, I wanted to learn more about the topic, do some proper research on it and share my experience and thoughts here.

I’m not here to judge anybody who’s ever been to any of these cafes. Nor am I here to tell you what to do. I merely want to spread awareness and give you all the necessary information to make an educated decision about whether you want to visit one of these cafes when in Japan.

In the article I mentioned above, the ex-employee of an unnamed owl cafe shared some of the cruel and inhumane ways the owls were treated. These cafes are businesses and, in most cases, money comes before animal welfare. 

In the owl cafe, the owls barely had any room to move: from 30 square centimetres to 100 square centimetres for larger birds. This gives them hardly any space to move away if they don’t want to be touched. 

On top of that, the owls barely got any rest during business hours (which lasted up to 10 hours a day). They remained chained in the same position, even after the cafe closed. The brightly lit rooms force the animals to be awake at times that are unnatural to them, causing a lot of unnecessary stress.

The article goes on and explains that the birds were deprived of water in order to reduce waste. The owls weren’t able to drink water on their own terms and had to wait for staff to come to feed them. Too much waste acted as a big inconvenience for a cafe that was already understaffed.

The whistleblower worked at the cafe for just over a year. During that time, seven owls died. If that’s not bad enough, the cafe owner lied on their website stating the owls were “fostered by a family”. Sick owls went without treatment because they prioritised managing the shop during business hours.

It goes without saying that not all owl cafes are as bad as this one. But even if the owls are well looked after, they are still wild animals. Unlike cats and dogs, owls haven’t been selectively bred to become domesticated.

Most owls are also nocturnal animals, which means they are active at night and sleep during the day. Forcing these animals to be awake during business hours for humans to come and pet them is questionable ethically. I can only imagine the stress these animals go through.

What About Other Types of Animal Cafes in Japan?

As mentioned before, there are a lot more cafes with different animals in Japan. What about those?

Obviously, I can’t speak for every single cafe out there. I only visited one owl cafe in Tokyo. But when reading articles by experts, it seems obvious that wild animals shouldn’t be caged for us humans to take cute pictures or videos with.

Hedgehog cafes are another type of popular cafe in Japan. Hedgehogs, much like owls, are nocturnal animals. Just looking at the pictures online about hedgehog cafes, you can see them curl up in a little ball. It’s cute, yes. But it’s also the hedgehog’s natural defence mode.

On The Dodo, I found an article about the ethics of hedgehog cafes in Japan. DJ Schubert, a wildlife biologist at the Animal Welfare Institute, was quoted, “It’s inhumane to subject those animals to that kind of treatment. Hedgehogs are nocturnal, but even if they weren’t, the fact that they just allow people to handle, touch and harass these animals is completely inappropriate. Some hedgehogs might acclimate to being handled, but they are, by nature and instinct, wild animals. While the animals may or may not demonstrate outward signs of stress, I can guarantee you that they’re stressed.” (The Dodo, 2017)

Are Animal Cafes Cruel?

Unfortunately, most animal cafes aren’t the most ethical businesses to support.

It goes without saying that not all places that house animals in Japan are evil. Some places do look after their animals properly and provide a home for sheltered cats and dogs. I would, however, recommend doing a bit of research before visiting one. Try googling the name of the cafe and reading a few reviews online.

Looking back, I wish I had done more research before going to the Owl Village in Harajuku. Your money is powerful. Spending it means funding an ideology, values and beliefs. If people stop going to cafes that treat animals poorly, they will eventually have to change their ways.

The first thing to keep in mind when deciding whether an animal cafe is animal-friendly is looking at what type of animals it houses. Are they wild animals? Or domestic animals? When it is a wild animal, the answer is probably pretty obvious after reading the rest of this article. Personally, I will avoid any of those in the future.

Cat and dog cafes may be a much better alternative, but I’d still recommend doing the proper research before committing to one. Personally, I’ve only visited one cat cafe in the UK, and they seem to look after the animals very well. But after having read a lot of reviews on cat cafes in Japan, it seems that the opinions are split.

This YouTube video addresses the issues with animal cafes in Japan and also talks about her experience visiting a cat cafe. She states that the cats seemed strange, almost like they were sedated. A quick Google search led me to more blog posts and reviews of people who agreed with this shocking observation.

An article on Japan Today shared the sad news that a cat cafe in Tachikawa (west of Tokyo) closed after five cats died due to a feline parvovirus outbreak. The news wasn’t properly addressed by the company until an anonymous source leaked the information. This caused a public backlash against the cafe, forcing it to close down.

Cat or dog cafes that take in shelter animals or strays are a much better option. Especially since 82% of animals that end up in shelters in Japan are gassed to death. That’s over 200.000 cats and dogs every year (source: Japan Times). If cafes are able to take in some of these sheltered animals, look after them and try to find them a new home, that’s something that should be supported! 

Owl Cafe Alternatives in Japan

Luckily, there are some ethical animal cafes in Tokyo and the rest of Japan. One of the best ones to check out is located in Asakusa, Tokyo, called Asakusa Nekoen Cat Cafe. All the cats in this cafe are from a shelter, and it’s even possible to adopt them.

If you’re looking for more great alternatives to animal cafes, I highly recommend reading this blog post by Tokyo Cheapo. They go over a lot of cool alternatives in Tokyo and other parts of Japan, where you can spend time with animals in an ethical way. 

Alternatively, you can visit animal shelters in Japan. Erica Lion has a huge list of animal shelters in the description of her video about visiting an animal cafe in Japan.

Conclusion: Are Owl Cafes Ethical?

While very cute, owl cafes aren’t the most ethical businesses to support. Since most owls are nocturnal animals and aren’t bred to be domesticated, keeping them chained up in brightly lit rooms during the day isn’t the best for them.

There are animal-friendly animal cafe alternatives in Japan that would be a much better alternative if visiting an animal cafe is high on your list of things to do. Examples include cat cafes that house stray cats or animal shelters.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on it! Have you ever visited an animal cafe? What did you think? Or if you haven’t, what’s your opinion about it?

I will definitely be more careful in the future when visiting places that house animals. From now on, I’ll avoid any cafes that have wild animals and do proper research before visiting any cat or dog cafes.

Sources:

• Erica Lion’s Youtube video on animal cafes in Japan
• Tokyo Cheapo’s article about animal-friendly alternatives to animal cafes
• ISSH international’s article about the ethics of animal cafes
• Article about the ex-worker of the owl cafe
• Global News’ article about owl cafes in Japan
• The Dodo’s article about Hedgehog cafes
• The Guardian’s article about a cat cafe closing down due to neglect
• Japan Today’s article about the closing cat cafe
• Japan Times’s article about sheltered animals.