Forest of Owl (アウルの森)

While many of my adventures do take place in Korea, occasionally I get the opportunity to travel to other countries. So I hope you won’t mind if I stray away from Korea once in a while to share my experiences and findings in other countries.Japan has long been known for its various, quirky, outside the box cafes. Recently news of owl cafes has been spreading across the internet like wildfire. Not too long ago, I went to India for a close friend’s wedding and on the way back my boyfriend and I had an 11 hour layover in Tokyo. I knew I had to take advantage of this time and check one out!We had decided to spend our layover in Akihabra, the heart of all things gamer and nerdy. Luckily, there was also an owl cafe in the area. Forest of Owl or (Auru no Mori) is one of the newer owl cafes in Tokyo, having just opened in May 2015.The cafe opened at 1pm, but being a bit strapped for time and given the popularity of this type of cafe… I knew it would be best to arrive early. By 12:30, there was already a line so we decided to wait in hopes of getting in at a reasonable hour. They do take advanced reservations, but unfortunately only by phone. At 1pm they started to let in reservations and people at the front of the line. After that, they start taking down names for time slots between 2pm and 11pm. Each time slot is an hour long, but if it’s not too busy you can stay longer. We weren’t able to go in with the first group, but luckily we were able to get in on the next time slot.When we returned, the staff gave us a bit of information on how to approach and hold the owls. The staff could only speak a bit of English, but everyone was very nice and helpful. They let us know that non-flash photography was okay and asked that we ask a staff member to assist us if we wanted to hold an owl. Pretty basic stuff.The cafe itself  was small and dimly lit in soft shades of pinks, blues and greens with a rainforest type of facade. There were owls perched throughout the cafe, even on logs on the floor. Only a hand full of people are let in at a time, so as not to overwhelm the owls. This also made for a more relaxed environment with plenty of time to just enjoy the company of the owls and take pictures at a leisurely pace. I was surprised by how quickly the hour passed!As for the owls… there was quite a nice variety; from cute little fluffy owls to large menacing looking ones. Surprisingly enough, it was the large scarier looking owls that enjoyed being pet the most. It took some courage on my part to approach them, but once I did, they were incredibly gentle. One owl even began to purr. The smaller owls were a bit more fidgety, but still cute. The staff members will even allow you to cradle them in your hands like a baby if you ask.You can pick your drink from one of the 3 vending machines at the entrance. Don’t be mistaken though, they aren’t your basic soda machines. They had all sorts of coffees, lattes, teas and juices that get made when you select a button. I got a banana chocolate latte and it was actually really good! You can get your drink when you go in, but we opted to get it on our way out so we could give all our attention to the owls. They also sold cute handmade owl cell phone charms, which I couldn’t resist buying as a little souvenir.Overall it was a really wonderful experience and I’m so glad I had a chance to visit. The cafe was very clean and the owls were very well taken care of and treated very gently. I love animals, so it was a special experience that I couldn’t have gotten just anywhere. If I have the chance, I will definitely go again.

After visiting the cafe in person, I was able to get more UPDATED information. So if you’re planning on stopping by and don’t know Japanese, here’s some very helpful info:

• Hours
  • 1-11pm Weekdays
  • 5-11pm Wednesdays
  • 12-11pm Weekends & Holidays
• Price
  • Adults: 890
  • Children: 540
    • CASH ONLY
    • Includes 1 drink per person
• Address
  • 外神田4-5-8 松孝商事ビル5Ｆ, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 101-0021
• Phone
  • 03-3254-6366
•  Reservations
  • Phone or walk-in ONLY
• Website
  • http://2960.tokyo