The Owl Family Cafe

My friends Victoria and Kacey had already traveled to Osaka and came back with pictures and stories of an owl cafe, so while we were in the city we researched the address and took the railway followed by the subway in order to reach the location. While it took time and effort to take multiple public transit systems to find a small cafe, the experience was so novel and exciting I am glad we made the trip.

The owl cafe was similar in structure to the cat cafe I had already visited in Okinawa. You pay around ten dollars for an hour with the animals and a small drink. While you simply read the rules for the cat cafe (for example: don't pick up the cats, don't let the cats drink from your glass), there was a presentation for the proper handling of owls. The rules were given in Japanese, but the instructor used a stuffed owl for visual purposes. I therefore had a pretty good idea of the etiquette of introducing yourself to owls. You let them see the back of your had before you pet them on the back. If they try to fly away while on your arm you raise your hand high and hold on tight to their lead. There were also multiple women there to pass the owl from one person to the next and make sure everything went smoothly. I asked about our camera, and they assured me pictures were acceptable as long as no flash was used. So...here are the owl pictures!

This guy was huge! Too big to be held, so I just pet his back.

This is Tubu. It means "minimized" because he is the smallest in the cafe.

The resting area for owls on break. They took naps.

David and Beverly looking classy.

I'm holding Kome, and Matt has Bei. 

We had so much fun interacting with owls from all over the world....even though Kome pooped down the back of my dress as he sat on my shoulder. This was before lunch, so I had to go the rest of the day before I could change into clean clothes. I was so glad I packed an extra outfit!