f you enjoy being surrounded by furry cottontails and fluffy clouds that jump, hop, and wobble, a visit to Japan’s animal cafes will have you feeling like you have arrived at sweet, dreamy paradise.
In the early 2000s, Japan’s first cat cafes boomed from the desire of many to be able to connect with sweet animal companions. Tokyo’s numerous no-pet apartments left lonely city folks wishing to meet with something other than the daily grind of monotonous life after work.
Since then, the popularity of these animal cafes expanded and gave both animal lovers and the curious at heart a space to take some time out of their busy schedules and relax in the company of cuddly creatures. But not everyone’s ideal pet is the everyday cat and dog. What about the chance to imagine a pet that you usually wouldn’t be able to have?
Introducing HARRY HARAJUKU Terrace! A combination of a petting zoo, pet shop, and cafe where you’ll be able to enjoy the company of hedgehogs, chinchillas, rabbits, gophers, and even otters just waiting to get to know you at their rooftop store in the heart of Tokyo’s Harajuku neighborhood.
I mean, it’s not every day you get to encounter an otter out in the wild or outside a zoo setting, am I right?
Talyssa and I thought so and thus, we’ll share how to enjoy chin-chilling at this unique HARRY’s brand of animal cafe.
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In Tokyo’s sea of countless animal cafe experiences, the brand “HARRY” stands out as the most recognized and also one of the first foreigner-friendly establishments for anyone interested in visiting this unique encounter of the cute kind. They were also the world’s first hedgehog cafe to open.
Described as a place for “animals with individuality,” the HARRY franchise first opened in Roppongi with their first cafe inhabiting fluffy rabbits and quirky hedgehogs that customers could cuddle, feed or even purchase the right friend to take home.
Most noticeably, the HARRY brand of animal cafes all have well-structured systems in place that prioritise the care of its animals within a calming environment. This allows for comfortable, non-stressful human-animal interactions.
Since their first success, the HARRY brand expanded to other city locations offering various animal encounters (mainly with small critters like hamsters) all within the stylish atmosphere of a cafe setting.
HARRY HARAJUKU Terrace in particular stands out as the only location that allows you to encounter playful otters on a rooftop garden all in the heart of Tokyo’s famous fashion district, Harajuku.
alking inside HARRY HARAJUKU Terrace, you’ll notice chinchillas chilling quietly inside their roomy cages and bunnies hopping freely in their pens.
From this point, you have two options on how you can spend your time at the cafe. The first is the free option to look around and view the animals from afar as a casual visitor.
On the other hand, paying for an experience will allow you to do extra activities such as handling and feeding the animals which aren’t available on a regular visit. You can either book an experience on the day on-site or you can reserve ahead and book online.
The Outdoor Otter Enclosure
The Gopher Enclosure Inside
Playtime
epending on your chosen ticket plan, once you have entered the enclosure you will be seated and the staff will hand you the chosen animal for playtime.
For Talyssa and I, our first encounter was with the chinchillas – an animal that is actually banned in our homeland of Australia. So you can imagine how special it was to be able to see what these cute smiley hoppers were like!
During playtime, we sat on some comfy benches as the staff handled the chinchilla for us to hold. They placed the chinchilla in a basket for safety which we could put on our laps and instructed us how to hold our little fluffy cloud. Though these playtime sessions aren’t necessarily “playful” in nature and more “touch and hold” experiences, it was still very enjoyable. I was impressed that our new brush-tailed friend was very well behaved. Calm and cute, I can understand why many people have them as household pets.
After our time with our chinchilla came to an end, we proceeded to our final playtime friends – the otters!
Unfortunately, unlike the other animals, we couldn’t hold the otters as they were kept in an enclosure with a pool. Though, maybe it was for the best because they were such hyperactive little playmates! They loved to hide and play wrestle with each other it was incredibly adorable and entertaining to watch.
If you are lucky, there are holes throughout the clear enclosure for feeding and if you hold your hand near one, you might just get a high five from your new otter pal as he searches for a tasty treat. If you are interested in playing with the otters, you should definitely book a feeding plan in advance.
Feeding time
or a little bit extra, we definitely recommend the feeding plan if you are planning to book an experience at HARRY’s. The staff will give you special feed for each animal and show you how to feed them as well.
Though feeding the chinchillas was cute, the most exciting and cutest feeding session was definitely with the otters!
As we approached their enclosure, the otters would howl with excitement once they sensed food was coming and stuck out their little paws at the offered snack. Unexpectedly, Talyssa and I could not stop gushing and squealing over how cute it was to touch their paws. To describe the feeling, otter paws are very soft to the touch and because they are webbed, it’s almost like touching little velvet cotton balls. It was a brief but memorable moment and it’ll make your heart melt, too!
Enjoy your Complimentary Drink
s part of your plan, each ticket allows you to have one complimentary drink to enjoy with your visit.
Usually, animal cafes limit their choices to the standard tea or coffee but at HARRY HARAJUKU Terrace, their drink menu items are different. You not only get to enjoy these classic afternoon beverages but their vending machines also include hot soup for the winter! They also have other drink variations like strawberry au lait, honey lemon, and muscat grape juice!
Also to note, there is no food available on-site but HARRY cafe does allow you to bring your own food and drink (no alcohol is allowed of course) to consume at designated eating areas.
great place to detour for an afternoon, HARRY HARAJUKU Terrace is definitely worth the stop-over especially if you’re looking to come into personal contact with some of the cutest exotic animals you will ever meet outside a zoo.
I noticed the staff took very good care of their animals and the shop was incredibly clean and spotless. They also disinfected regularly and had hand sanitizer freely available for customers to ensure hygiene which I thought was very responsible.
All the staff we interacted with were very friendly and also spoke very good English that you could also make light conversation which was very refreshing.
Overall, our experience at HARRY’s HARAJUKU Terrace was not only a lot of fun but a fantastic side adventure to break up our busy travel schedule. So next time you’re in town, take a break and unwind with these incredible animals that we share our earth with.
The Entrance of HARRY HARAJUKU Terrace
The Details
神宮前426 3F, 4-26-5, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0001
Mon – Sun:
11AM – 7PM (Reception for the Hedgehog cafe is open until one hour before the closing time.)
There are two plans available which can be booked through the travel agency hisgo for HARRY’s HARAJUKU Terrace:
The “Normal Plan” includes a 40-minute stay and 1 drink.
The “Feeding Plan” includes a 40-minute stay, 1 drink, and 1 treat.
Note: If you stay over the original prescribed stay time, a fee may be charged.