Ever wanted to enjoy a coffee while being attended to by a snake? Or maybe you’ve always wondered how it feels to dine next to a iguana. With its myriad of animal cafes across the country, there’s definitely something that will pique your interest. Here are 7 animal cafes in Japan that I’ve visited during my recent trip, and my thoughts on them.

Tokyo

1. Tokyo Snake Center

As its name suggests, Tokyo Snake Center is a snake cafe. Having been here twice, this remains one of my favourite animal cafes in Japan. Located on 8F of an unassuming building in the busy Harajuku area, you’ll find a dozen small colourful snakes in clear cases by the door.

You get to choose one of these “attendant” snakes as your table companion. If you’re terrified of snakes, you’ll be glad to know that these small snakes will remain in their cases throughout your visit.

For the brave ones, you can pay a fee to get up close and personal with the larger snakes in the cafe. The fee depends on the type of snake you want to hold and the snakes are categorised into “Regular” and “Special” snakes.

The entry price includes a drink, but the cafe also serves desserts such as cakes.

It is best to make a reservation beforehand or go during odd hours. We got lucky on a Saturday at 2.30pm without having to queue but there was a long queue, when we left 3.30pm. Do note that they do not allow reservations between 1pm – 6pm on weekends and holidays.

Would I visit again? YES

Opening hours: 11am – 8pm, closed on Tuesdays
Cover charge: ¥1100 (≈ SGD 11), additional fees for handling snakes
Address: Japan, 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 6 Chome−5−6 サンポウ綜合ビル 8F

2. Harry Harajuku Terrace

Bringing you to the other end of the spectrum, Harry Harajuku Terrace is where you’ll find the cute and the cuddly. Here, you can play with otters, hedgehogs and chinchillas.

You can also pay an additional ¥880 (≈ SGD 8.80) if you want to pat the otters in a play pen.

It is recommended to make a reservation as walk-ins are only allowed a 30-minute slot in the cafe, while reservations get a 1-hour slot.

Drinks are self serve at the vending machine near the entrance and they are included in your entry fee.

Tip: The animals are more active earlier in the day. Go near opening — 12/1pm. An hour into opening, most animals were asleep as they were already full from treats.

Would I visit again? YES

Opening hours: Weekdays 1pm – 6pm, Weekends and holidays 12pm – 6pm
Cover charge: ¥1540 for 30 minutes (≈SGD 15.40), ¥3080 for 1 hour (≈SGD 30.80)
Address: Japan, 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 4 Chome−26−5 ４２６ビル 3F

Osaka

3. Small Animal Cafe Rock Star

Small Animal Cafe Rock Star is where you’ll get to interact with some “exotic” animals such as ferrets and meerkats. At this cafe, you’ll also find ducks and chickens, which depending on where you’re from, may not be pet candidates.

You can choose an animal to play with at your table and can change it for another animal anytime. We really enjoyed our stay at the cafe as the staff was friendly and briefed us on how to handle each animal properly, also providing a warning if the animal might bite.

The entrance fee allows you a 2-hour stay and you’ll have to minimally order a drink (¥1100, ≈SGD11.10) per person. Do make a reservation, otherwise, walk-ins are only allowed after 8.30pm.

Would I visit again? Maybe, if I had time to spare

Opening hours: 11am – 10pm
Cover charge: ¥1000 (≈SGD 10)
Address: 6-7, Sennichimae, Namba, Central District, Osaka TSUJI Building 5F

4. Reptile Cafe Rock Star

Ran by the same company that runs Small Animal Cafe Rock Star, the Reptile Cafe Rock Star has a similar concept, but the furry animals are replaced with lizards and snakes.

Being a reptile lover, I really enjoyed my time here and the geckos stole my heart as well.

As with the Small Animal Cafe, you’ll have to minimally order a drink (¥1100, ≈SGD 11.10) here. There is also a food menu with pastas, desserts, and insect-based dishes — if you’re up for it 😉 For both Rock Star cafes, we made a reservation about 3 weeks ahead of our visit.

Would I visit again? YES

Opening hours: 11am – 10pm
Cover charge: ¥1000 (≈SGD 10)
Address: 2-7-7, Naka, Namba, Naniwa District, Osaka City, Osaka Namba FK Building 3F

Kyoto

5. Mipig Cafe

Micro Pig House, Mipig for short, has been making its rounds on social media recently so I knew I had to see what the hype was about. The pigs at this cafe are supposedly smaller than normal pigs, but those I saw at the Kyoto outlet were huge, much larger than I had imagined them to be. Maybe they’ve grown up?

I would advise wearing socks and clothes you don’t mind getting dirtied, as the pigs tend to rest their wet noses on you, and/or drool on you.

As with the other cafes, do make a reservation if possible, we saw those without reservations getting turned away during our time there.

Would I visit again? Probably not

Opening hours: 10am – 8pm
Entrance fee: ¥660 (≈SGD 6.60) + ¥1100 (≈SGD 11.10) for the first 30 minute + ¥550 (≈SGD 5.50) every additional 30 minutes [thereby total of ¥2310 for the first hour]
Address: They have various outlets across Japan — Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka. Check here for full list of outlets.

6. Kyoto Mameshiba Cafe

Mameshiba is a smaller variation of Shiba Inu and with Shiba Inus being extremely popular in Japan, there’s no lack of Shiba cafes in Japan. The one we visited was in Kyoto’s Shinkyogoku Shopping Street, which is a street filled with local food, fashion and souvenir shops.

This particular cafe did not accept reservations and you can only try your luck securing a time slot at the counter. When we got there around 12pm, the earliest time slot available was for 1.45pm.

It was probably due to us visiting in the afternoon, but most of the dogs were not interested in playing at all and the only 2 that were awake were really skittish, so there was hardly any interaction with the dogs.

Would I visit again? Nope.

Opening hours: Weekdays 12pm – 6pm, weekends and holidays 11.30am – 6.30pm
Entrance fee: ¥900 (≈SGD 900) for 30 minutes
Address: 548-1 Nakanocho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8042, Japan
They have outlets in Tokyo and Kamakura as well.

7. Owl’s Forest

Ran by the same company and just across the Kyoto Mameshiba cafe is the Owl’s Forest, which houses about 16 owls. This is an opportunity to get up close with owls, as you’re allowed the pat the owls with the back of your hands.

Since they are affiliated with the Mameshiba cafe, they offer a combo ticket; you can choose to purchase either Mameshiba Cafe + Owl’s Forest entry (¥1400, ≈SGD 14) or Mameshiba Cafe + Bengal Cat’s Forest entry (¥1500, ≈SGD 15).

However, I did have my reservations about this place. As fun as it was being able to touch some owls for the first time in my life, it was sad seeing the birds being chained to branches.

Would I visit again? Probably not.

Opening hours: Weekdays 12pm – 6pm, weekends and holidays 11.30am – 6.30pm
Entrance fee: ¥700 (≈SGD 7) for 30 minutes
Address: 〒604-8042 554 Nakanocho, Shinkyogoku-dori, Shijo-agaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto 604-8042 Mimatsu West Building 2F

Animal cafes are a pretty touchy subject and I do have my reservations when visiting or planning to visit one. These cafes provide a good opportunity for education, especially for animals we would otherwise never be able to encounter in our usual environment. I’d advise to do your own research and judge for yourself before deciding to patronise them.