Barn Owls at a Tokyo Owl Cafe

Two barn owls with heart-shaped facial disks perched close together at a Tokyo owl cafe.
Two barn owls with heart-shaped facial disks perched close together at a Tokyo owl cafe.

Owl cafes like this one let visitors view and handle owls at close range, often for the price of a drink and a timed session. Tokyo has several such cafes, a niche offshoot of Japan's broader animal cafe industry that also includes cat, rabbit, and hedgehog venues. Barn owls, recognizable by their heart-shaped facial disks, are among the species commonly kept at these establishments. Regulations on the keeping and display of owls in Japan have tightened in recent years amid welfare concerns raised by animal rights groups.

Taken March 2023

Photo Part Of
Tokyo
Transit infrastructure and urban life across central and western Tokyo districts
73 photos
More from Tokyo
Commuters Wait on a Curved Platform at Shinjuku Station
Commuters Wait on a Curved Platform at Shinjuku Station
Shinjuku Station handles roughly 3.5 million passengers a day, the busiest transit hub on the planet. The station serves multiple…
Ginza Line 1000 Series Train, Tokyo Metro
Ginza Line 1000 Series Train, Tokyo Metro
The Ginza Line is Tokyo's oldest subway line, opened in 1927 between Asakusa and Ueno and later extended to run…
Lone Passenger with Suitcase Aboard a Yamanote Line Train
Lone Passenger with Suitcase Aboard a Yamanote Line Train
JR East's E235 series trains have run on the Yamanote Line since debuting in 2015, replacing the earlier E231-500 fleet…
Yodobashi Camera Head Store Sign, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Yodobashi Camera Head Store Sign, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Yodobashi Camera's Head Store sits near the West Exit of Shinjuku Station, one of the busiest rail terminals in the…
IC Card Charging Machine, Shinjuku Station, Tokyo
IC Card Charging Machine, Shinjuku Station, Tokyo
Suica and Pasmo are the two major IC cards used on trains and subways across the Tokyo region, and both…
Bandai Flat Gashapon Machines, Tokyo
Bandai Flat Gashapon Machines, Tokyo
Bandai's Flat Gashapon machines dispense flat, card-style capsule toys for 500 yen a turn, a format the company introduced as…

Built in Minneapolis

Minneapolis Photographer

Browse by location, move through long-running series, or start with recent work.

© 1996–2026 Chad Davis