Japan and its animal cafes have recently become famous abroad, and ever since I found out there was an owl cafe in Osaka at the beginning of the semester, I’ve been planning to go. But other travel plans kept pushing it back and just when I thought I’d have a free afternoon, a test or quiz would get in the way. So it goes. But this week I finally made it.
That same Monday I finally made it home from the weekend adventure in Sapporo, I previously had made plans with my speaking partner, Mizuho, to go to an owl cafe. After class and a quick nap, I headed out to meet Mizuho at the train station and we left for Shinsaibashi.
It was about eleven dollars for a drink and an hour in the cafe, which actually turned out cheaper than the cat cafe I went to near Fushimi Inari a few weeks ago. It was so incredible to get to see owls up close and take pictures!
Moka-chan, who we couldn’t pet I think because she was growing her first real feathers. But she was so cute!
Barn owls will always remind me of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole books I read as a kid.
They also let us hold the owls, which was really cool. Shigeji didn’t mind at all. Actually, the lady in charge said he actually really liked people. When she held him, he’d cuddle up against her shoulder like a baby. They obviously had a really good bond. It was so cute!
Mizuho with Shigeji
They also rotated which owl got to wander around, so sometimes the owls would get quite close to us without minding. In this picture, Shigeji is only a few inches from where I’m sitting-
These two are best friends. 🙂
After our hour was up, we walked back through the shopping areas in Shinsaibashi and decided to get okonomiyaki, a famous Osaka-style dish from one of Mizuho’s favorite places.
We also stopped for a quick picture in front of the famous Glico man, which had apparently been under construction for much of the semester. I’m glad it was finished when we stopped by!
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