Kobe is a big and wonderful place to visit. There are many popular and famous spots to visit. One of the more popular places to visit is a street called Motomachi. It is located right between Kobe and Sannomiya and has many restaurants,shops, and cafes to visit as you stroll down the street. One cafe, that can be easily overlooked, is an owl cafe right in the middle of Motomachi.
I walked right past the building during my first trip down the street, but thanks to a poster right outside the door depicting about thirty or some owls I was forced to take a closer look. The exterior of the owl cafe is all wooden and, like I said before, if it wasn't for the poster I would have never known it was an owl cafe. I would have assumed it was only owl themed.
Walking inside I was immediately stumped on what to do but thankfully the owner was kind enough to go through the instructions slowly. I hope I can help everyone enjoy their time at this cafe the next time you stop by Motomachi.
The first thing you do when you walk through the door is pay for the time to pet and see the owls. The regular price is 1000 - 1400 yen for an hour and drink. Once you have paid you can sit down as one of the workers explains the rules and how to pet the owls.
Rules
- The owner will begin by instructing you that any owl with a red tag by its name means they are on break and are not allowed to be touched.
- They will go on to say loud noises will frighten them to keep voices quiet, so maybe not the best place to go with children.
- The last rule is that you are allowed to take pictures of owls but you cannot use flash photography and cameras should not be shoved right in the owls face, so respect their space.
There are two rows of owls at an upper level and one level closer to the floor. The owls range from all kinds of types and sizes. It was quite extraordinary.
Okay now that all the rules are understood, the worker instructs us how to pet the owl. An owl, unlike a cat or dog, does not like excessive petting. To pet an owl take the back of your hand, usually the first two fingers and stroke the owl from the crown of its head to the back of its neck. Just two or three strokes at a time. If an owl is agitated and does not want to be pet it will back away. If that happens move on to a different owl.
The rules are fair and the variety is incredible. It may seemed overpriced but after seeing about twenty different species of owls all in one room and the chance to pet most of them I was thrilled. If you are an owl lover like me I highly recommend stopping by this place during your next visit.
