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.

Photo taken in March 2023.

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Tokyo
Transit infrastructure and urban life across central and western Tokyo districts
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