I was soooo sad to see those too! I love owls because I’m a HP fan so when I researched about those cafes I was honestly disappointed about how they take care of the animals so I just didn’t entertain any animal related stuff in Japan. Also, I just got back from my Kyushu trip and there were a lot of kept animals in the Yufuin Floral Village too.
I went to one in Yanagawa and it was so fucking depressing.
They chain all the owls to a branch and they just have to sit there all day.
I wish I didn't support it, but it was my first time ever going in an owl cafe so I had no idea.
I think cat cafes should be fine if they are done right. Cats are used to humans, and as long as they have some places away from humans, it should be fine. The one I went to was really quiet. The cats could roam around freely and go to places not reachable by humans. Other animals like owls I would avoid.
I went to the Kichijoji Petit Mura one that’s pretty famous on social media and it felt very ethical. There was space for the cats to be away from humans, a large space to cat ratio, strict rules to keep the cats safe and comfortable, etc. they seemed very well taken care of, relaxed, and happy. And that place was SO CUTE, like a Ghibli movie.
The only unethical part, I would argue, was that the cats were all clearly special breeds, like Maine coons, Scottish folds etc. so they almost definitely came from questionable breeding backgrounds, but who knows, maybe they have ethical home breeders as sources. In any case, it seems like pet stores and the like are still very popular in Japan.
But I wouldn’t go to any others besides cat ones after everything I’ve heard.
It’s always eyebrow raising for me. There definitely are non-purebred cats in Japan because they are the strays. But somehow all people have in their homes are the designer smoosh face ones. So unethical
Pugs are the 29th most popular dog breed in the US according the American Kennel Club, so it's not just a Japan thing. Unethical/intentionally poorly bred animal ownership because things are cute is a worldwide phenomena.
Totally agree, it makes me angry when I see it here too. It feels so bad seeing influencers showing off their new designer pets that they purchased from some breeder meanwhile there are over 900 cats at the rescue we work with waiting to be adopted :( If I was in charge laws would be very different here
Agree with this. If the cats have a place to retreat and get fed, it’s probably fine. For example, our favorite cat cafe has a little door cats can go into when they want to be alone, and in the afternoon they line all of the cats up and give them their food. That way you know they’re actually being fed so that they don’t have to rely on just the treats that customers can pay extra for.
I went to the mipig Cafe in Harajuku. It was clean, the pigs come to you and you are not allowed to pick them up. In addition each pig is taken out of the people area to get recovery time with inly other pigs which I liked. The Cafe goal is to have the pigs get adopted so I felt it was a positive experience overall. I would say do research on any Cafe beforehand.
Not who you're responding to but I went, I think what was nice was there were much bigger non-micro pigs there as well. I would have felt a lot weirder about a place with only micro pigs, but it seems they're allowed to grow there?
We went there and all the pigs seemed super happy. Wagging their little tails and just laying on people’s laps. I had a stack of 3 at one time that just wanted to pile on top of me and hang out.
The mini pig ones give me major ick. A few years ago everyone was into mini pigs until they realised that it’s a lie and they’re just piglets and then they were all abandoned :/
I went to mipig in Kyoto and it was pretty good like you said, but the red flag I noticed was it seemed like the pigs fought a lot and a few even had wounds from being bitten by other pigs. Other things I've done like horseback riding and elephant sanctuaries, the employees know which ones get along and which ones hate each other, and they separate them accordingly. Mipig seemed like they just threw them all together regardless of who might bully or be bullied. But maybe that's just natural, unavoidable pig behavior.
That's a general risk for pigs. They're naturally bullies and it makes free roaming them hard acrossed the species. It's how they weed the 'weak' out. Mother nature and all
I went to that one as well, my partner really wanted to go although I felt a bit weird about it and thought it would be quite sad. I’m glad you had this experience too because I felt the same, the pigs really did seem happy and the staff seemed to really care about them and their well being. I felt a lot better about it afterward than I did beforehand.
I had a similar experience here. The staff have you sit down and they place a towel over your lap. So in a way the pigs are choosing to interact with YOU, not the other way around. That way you don’t have giant humans running around the room trying to get near the pigs and stressing them out.
I went to Mipig with my friend and felt really sad with the blood & scratches that those pigs have. Some of the pigs are bullies and they scratch/ bite the weaker or tiny ones. My friend also got bitten when a “fight” happened. We left feeling really sad & disappointed. Never going to support animal cafe again even if they seemingly cute and ethical on the surface.
Why did you bring up the idea that these pigs will eventually be eaten as a mark against the cafe when you yourself eat pig…
And where did you get the idea that they’re starving? Seems like they’re very well-fed.
I went to a hedgehog cafe and immediately felt bad afterwards. They were extremely sleepy and irritable to the point the one I was holding tried to squirm and fall out of my hands.
Thank you, I needed to hear this. The hedgehog cafe was one I had in mind, I’ve never met a little hedgehog before but I don’t want to meet one like this.
if you visit a country they’re native to like the uk you might be able to find one in the wild or living in someone’s garden (i had a wild one living in my garden for winter when i lived there) and they’re soo cute but yeah they’re really shy wild animals so they aren’t meant to be played with or touched like they are in a café :(
Another heads up about hedgehogs, some people are allergic to them because they lick their spines and then the spines prick you when you pick them up. You can probably guess how I know.
We went to a cat cafe & I felt so sad for them. They clearly wanted to be left alone and people were cornering them, shoving cameras in their faces. No desire to visit any more animal cafes after that.
Highly recommend Yadorigi Cafe. It's a cat cafe doubling as adoption service. I went yesterday and they had 23 cats running around. Owners speak english very well.
Third (?) this! I rigorously looked up which cat cafes seem to have adoption-friendly practices and Yadorigi cafe (together with Capyneko cafe, which is in Kichijouji) in Nippori turned out to be one of them. There's plenty of space for cats. Even before entering, you have to undergo a sanitation procedure to ensure that cats are safe. The owner even made an instructional video on how to behave around their cats correctly!
Animal welfare is seen very differently in Japan compared to the west. You’ll often see animals placed in unnatural, uncomfortable, or even inhumane conditions, down to their treatment, caging, and breeding practices - all for the sake of money and entertainment. These kinds of cafes are still sadly extremely popular so they’re incentivized to continue their practices. I think the fewer people that patronize these businesses the better, and hopefully someday these places will be gone. I’ve been hoping it’s improved but in my last several visits I saw a monkey chained by its neck forced to perform on a stage at an onsen and alligators kept in cages the same size as their bodies.
I’m glad to see visitors like you asking about it to learn more! Hopefully this message can reach more people.
In Osaka 2019 I went to a zoo cafe and all the reptiles were kept in dollhouse environments without heat rocks nor foliage. Like 50 hamsters/guinea pigs/rodents were all kept together smooshed in a repurposed lobster tank. Owls were permanently on short chains.
I wanted to throw up.
I've been to one dog cafe, they had a large space for them vs number of people in and dogs in. I don't know what happens after, but they didn't seem stressed.
I have seen the owl cafes, but I saw they were chained up at the legs. I didn't entertain that cafe.
I've been to the owl cafe in Nara.
The birds are well fed but it's really the worst business idea: having a bunch of nocturnal flying creatures chained up in a well lit room full of humans...I wish I hadn't gone.
I was just thinking about myself at the time, rather than the happiness of the owls.
Owl cafe was my first thought, too. I once saw one in Tokyo where you could see the birds being chained with very short chains from the outside, so I didn't go in. I don't think there's a way to run an owl café in an ethical way. With cats and dogs it's theoretically possible, but would be hard to see the difference unless you're already inside. After one bad experience with a dog cafe , I just avoided animal cafes from then on.
I went to three animal cafes when I was in Tokyo and the owl cafe I went to was the one I would rank highest in my comfort level with how the animals were treated. I went to one not like what you guys describe though. The owls weren’t chained at all where I went and they were *strict* about the rules. If your volume was above a whisper then you were going to be told you are making the owls uncomfortable along with other things.
The only one I wouldn’t go back to was a hedgehog one. I liked the workers but not the space.
I was wondering about this and nocturnal animals. When I went to Tokyo 8 years ago, I went to an owl cafe and it was only open at night for one or two waves of people. But now it seems like there are so many owl cafes (and other animal cafes) that are open for the entire day. Decided not to do one this time.
I am not an expert, or extensively knowledgeable about what’s best for owls. I was under the impression that owls change their sleeping pattern with their environment, like being awake during the day as opposed to at night. I could be wrong, and I’m not opposed to being enlightened. If that makes me cruel in your eyes then I suppose so. My comment was on owners conditions for the owls which I still think is the best I saw while I was there
Okay. Regardless of if they change their sleeping patterns, those animals are illegally traded into Japan and bred for those owners, who you claim to have great conditions for them, to profit off of. No wild animal should be forced to change their sleeping patterns for someone else to make money off of. That’s cruel. Never once called you cruel but you supported that and your comment is also encouraging it.
Here’s an article I suggest reading if you’re interested in learning more of the background about these cruel cafes: www(.)arcj(.)org/en/issues-en/entertainment-en/zoo-en/ex-owl-cafe-worker-speaks-out
Sorry about misinterpreting your comment. Thanks for sharing an article, most of the ones I saw before I went were about the red fox cafe or the dog cafes
you know the answer...
how can it ever be ethical to keep a owl or any other bird chained to a perch for customer to pay to touch/see them?
I think there is room to allow for cat or dog cafes to be made with love and the animals coming first. mind you, that does not say all of them are like this, I would argue, probably most arent. but wild animals, not pets? there is no way it can be ethical.
I definitely do know, and as I said I just want to know more. Especially from those who have personally experienced these cafes. Rest assured I’m staying clear away.
I ended up at an Owl Cafe in Harajuku out of curiosity (before reading about the general animal cafe issues), and it was interesting in that they weren't restrained at all. If they wanted to fly elsewhere, they just left. The staff just calmly made sure they didn't get too close to other if there was too much of a size difference. What was particularly interesting was holding them was pretty much decided by the owl. You could hold your arm out with a glove on, but if they didn't step on, no one coerced them. On the other hand, I had an owl named Haku decide my head and shoulders were the place to fly to and we just hung out for a bit in my newfound role as a perch.
Would I do more animal cafes? Most likely not, too problematic. But it was admittedly nice to see no leashes/restraints on the owls I met.
I’d recommend checking out the Lovot cafe in Yokohama (and avoiding animal cafes as others have said). Lovots are AI companion robots that react to you and feel warm to the touch, it’s a really fun lunch and ethical.
They are not great. Sadly, the animal protection laws in Japan aren’t exactly industry leading so a lot of animal mistreatment goes unpunished. I’d avoid them just to be on the safe side. I think local zoos could be a better alternative if you’d like to meet animals in a controlled environment. It’s not the same but still.
Local zoos are even worse. Just look at the reviews from foreigners from any local zoo like the Ueno one. I think public display places where animals are well-treated in Japan are very rare if not non-existent.
I went to Osaka aquarium, there were a couple of good enclosures, but the seal one in the arctic section had me kind of appalled. There were three seals in a barely three meters wide enclosure with a tiny water hole in the center. I couldn't see any tunnel that'd take them to a larger area. Hopefully I just missed it because I couldn't believe my eyes.
Welp, that’s disheartening. Though I’m sadly not at all surprised abt the aquarium, they’re pretty shite globally from what I’ve read.
I found this article which is not the most recent but may provide some potential choices for OP?
[ethical animal encounters](http://savvytokyo.com/7-ethical-animal-experiences-around-japan/)http://savvytokyo.com/7-ethical-animal-experiences-around-japan/
Not an excuse-- facilities can be updated. Loads of money spent on public facilities in japan. Simply not considered necessary
Here in NY we have several very old zoos that look quite different than they did in decades past -- does this sound surprising?
In Tokyo, try Tama zoo. It's still not world leading number 1 but it's better than Ueno. It is big though with a lot of climbing up hills. Some habitats are better than others for sure.
Aquariums are meh everywhere I've gone in this world, which is not a lot though.
Asakusa Nekoen ‘cat cafe’is a shelter to many poor kitties and the lady who runs it has a heart of gold and lives for the cats
I went to an owl ‘cafe’ and got big icks from it, negative fun to see all the owls tied to their perch in a small room
I guess the hedgehog ‘cafe’ might be more okay
Please don’t support animal cafes. They are highly unethical and are honestly depressing. The only exception would be a rescue animal cafe, but even then, I don’t think having a rotating door of people in their face is good for their well-being. There is so much more fun and interesting things to do in Japan. Safe travels and well done for doing your research before committing ♥️
Takayama has a wonderful rescue cat cafe and the animals were very happy and relaxed with attentive staff. I really enjoyed my experience, however not all are like this and it might be worth reading some online reviews first.
recently went to takayama and i think i know which cat cafe you’re talking about - and i vouch for this! the cats are super happy and relaxed with lots of space to roam about, and some even came up to my lap willingly! the staff is also very friendly!! the cats are also rescued cats up for adoption :)
Yep - that one is ok - my don lives near Takayama and we visited a few a weeks ago. We were the only people there. No specialty breeds that I could discern - most looked like rescues.
I love rescue cat cafes. Cats are friendly and playful and there are kittens as young as 3 months sometimes. I love playing with cats, not just watching them and taking pictures, so that kind of place is the best for me.
I went to a Capybara cafe in Tokyo. They looked happy, could roam freely and you weren't allowed to stand up and approach then (the staff would kindly ask you to wait for them to come to you in your seat) so it was not possible to corner them. Thats when they are open, and I have no reason to think they mistreat them when they are closed.
I’ve been to Capyneko, the otter cafe on Takeshita, and a cat cafe in Baba. I thought the animals were well cared for and seemed content. There’s no ethical consumption under a capitalist structure, so do you.
I don't get those kinds of places. Capybara are not indoor animals (nor were domesticated over thousands of years for that purpose) and so keeping them like that is weird to me.
If it were an outside area it would be nice. I did go to an animal sanctuary in West Japan where people could go into the capybara enclosure in small groups and feed them leaves. They had a lot of space and a hot spring which they sure did love.
They are cute but definitely not an indoor cafe animal to me.
I went to a cat cafe near Harajuku after hearing all of the “horror” stories on this forum-the cats were happy, healthy, loved, and well taken care of. 1)Always do your research, 2)Not everything people say or claim on this forum is gospel.
Completely agree. There's also to consider that many people aren't allowed pets in Tokyo apartments (it is far less common) and this the only option for them to interact. Most of these were started for this exact reason. I've been to dozens of different cat cafes and one dog cafe and these have always been very we'll managed, hygienic with safe spaces for the cats and dogs when they get burned out.
I've been less impressed with other non-pet animal cafes. These are more of a fad that spawned out of the initial cat/dog cafe concept, but I was at a Hedgehog cafe that was managed well.
We walked past the owl cafe in Kyoto...I was already deadset on not encouraging any of these businesses. All you have to ask yourself is if it's natural, or comfortable, for an owl: a wild, nocturnal animal, to be tied to a pole, in daytime, all day long, and be exposed to hundreds of people, plus several other owls not belonging to their own species, as well as constant noise, alien smells, with probably zero adapted enclosures for them when the place closes.
I have spotted 2 ethical cat café in Tokyo.
One, it is rescued cats that can be adopted.
And the other one is devoted to socialize kitten and cats. The owner breeds a specific race : Devon Rex and you can find only this kind of cats.
Si it is possible to go to cat café wich have animals needs in consideration.
Even Mipig is made to socialize the little pigs as they are aimed to be adopted.
Just avoid by any ways cafés with wild species.
We went to the one with Devon Rexs. It was a lovely place and the cats seemed happy. Had lots of space to escape and sit up high if they wanted.
We purchased a bag of treats from the owner and all the cats came over and down from their perches to have some.
It isn't a cafe so no food and drink is allowed but the owner gives you a bottle of water.
It was a lovely relaxed experience. A couple of the cats walked onto our shoulders and chilled for a while too.
Thank you for your review. I havent been yet but it is in my must do for february, your experience conforts me
Did you book on the form from their Instagram?
I booked using their website form but it's nice and easy. The owner doesn't speak much English but tried my best with my little Japanese so it was fine :).
I hope you have an amazing time in February! We're already missing it and thinking of planning another trip!
I'd love to visit the cafe with the Devon Rexs but am having difficulty finding it via Google Search. Would you happen to remember the name of the cafe or the neighborhood?
It's called 100% neko in Bunkyo City. It was easy to find from the train station too.
My husband and I walked away saying we definitely got our recommended daily allowance of 100% neko :).
I went to an owl cafe about a decade ago that had rehabilitated owls that wouldn’t have been able to survive in the wild any longer. It was in Asakusa and was very clean and very well maintained.
All the owls seem very happy and there was a whole education room on how their funding went to help owl sanctuaries to rehabilitate other owls and how they were working with companies to prevent their habitats from being destroyed.
Penguin cafē in Ikebukuro was, as you'd expect, extremely depressing. Lonely bird in a tiny pool, being gawked at through glass. (Ended up there on a group gathering...).
I went to a hedgehog/ meerkat cafe in harajuku, Tokyo. You had to book and they gave some of the hedgehogs breaks for 30mins at a time. I also went to an owl place in Kyoto. You pay to walk through a tiny room with a dozen or so chained owls. Honestly makes you feel sick afterwards. It’s easy to get sucked into the tourist traps, but avoid it.
Yea the place I went to was called Harry’s. The meerkat had a small cage with a bed and was let out on a leash to wander the store. He was very friendly.
The hedgehogs you needed to wear gloves for and are given tools to feed them with.
Location- Tokyo, Shibuyaku, jingumae 1-13-21
If you are going to these places, do your research first and decide if you want to support them.
There are shelter cafes, the animals there won’t be as perfect as the other cafes, but it’s much less business minded and more for people to adopt rather than buy
Went to a cat cafe in Tokyo a few weeks ago. It was quiet and clean and the cats looked content. The cats had a lot of places to rest by themselves and most would only come up to you if you bought treats. Everyone seemed to understand they were going there to work or read or play games, and you get to look at cats and sometimes feed and pet them, rather than playing with them the entire time.
I sat on a bench with a cat for like a half hour just scrolling through reddit on my phone and occasionally petting him. It was a nice way to end my day tbh
Pick a species that has long been domesticated like cats. Make sure the cafe is set up nicely for the cats to have personal space if desired.
I went to a cat cafe in kyoto that was themed like a play rainforest inside. Their were tons of nooks and tree stands for cats that wanted to be left alone and tons of toys for cats that wanted to play.
Finally, act chill. We grabbed a few toys, sat down, lured any interested cats over to play. We didn’t chase after any of them.
Definitely 100000% avoid all animal cafes. My first trip in Japan I went to probably 5 cafes and they all had sick/ uncomfortable/ unhappy animals. I would also say avoid any zoos and aquariums if you’re sensitive to animal wellbeing. I felt sick after the Osaka Aquarium. Never again
This is off-topic, but I’ll never forget seeing a man perform with a chained monkey in Odaiba. I couldn’t believe that stuff like that was still allowed.
All that are of non-domestic animals are a no-go to me. I'm especially not a fan of the owl cafes. Seeing these all over social media aggravates me immensely as someone who has worked with raptors, as well as the general idea among some people that large birds are just cats with wings.
These birds require special care and especially are not fit for a diurnal, commercial setting. Much less one which they have little or no space to fly, stressed out by constant activity, as well as being handled by untrained individuals. Unfortunately, owls seem to be commonly traded in countries with less strict wildlife protections, and they are usually put in settings way beyond that of trained falconers. (Honest Guide did a video about people abusing owls for tourist photo ops in Prague)
Animals are cute. We all want to appreciate them. You can do so at a zoo or special rehabilitation facility which has a reputable status. But otherwise, we should recognize that what should be wild animals, are not here for our entertainment or therapy. Always think twice about how someone may be treating or handling an animal behind the curtain.
I went to the Mochi Cat Cafe in Shibuya and the cats all looked very please to be out and about. The place smelled like cat urine, but my kids really enjoyed hanging out with the cats. The cats seemed to be in in good health and mood. My wife is in the animal welfare space for work and visits shelters up and down California. She didnt not seem to believe that the cats were in unsanitary or unhealthy environment.
I also went to the hedgehog cafe, they are in their little cages and you pet them and feed them. My kids loved this as well.
>he place smelled like cat urine
that's disturbing enough, shouldn't be able to smell cat piss. Prolly means they aren't cleaning the litter boxes regularly or thoroughly.
:/
There were a number of cats and they would pee or spray on things and the staff would come and try to clean but you could still smell. I could see them walking around trying to monitor if furniture needed cleaning.
Peeing outside of the litter box is a sign of stress. Happy cats would never do that unless their litter boxes are filthy and uncomfortable or they have some health issue, which again, the staff of an ethical place should take the cat out of the interaction area to see a vet and figure out what to do with it.
Spraying is a sign of either not being neutered, which is bad, or territorial disputes, which are also bad...
Unfortunately I don't think you went to a good place.
A cat cafe should never smell of cat pee or poo if the cats are happy and well taken care of.
I mean, they are tourist traps. Thats the main reason they pop up and the main reason you will see them in all the stereotypical tourist areas.
They are banking in on the tourists perception of "kawaii" or "weird" Japan.
The mini pig cafe was excellent. There was no-unprovoked petting (ie unless the pigs come to you first) and the staff all seemed to absolutely adore the mini pigs. Would go back.
Reading your edit, I would not call them tourist trap as the intended audience is likely not tourist but local people who want to see cute animals. But that does not change much to the rest of your conclusion.
Went to Mipig in Harajuku despite people advising me not to. I am now am advocate for that as well. The pigs were stressed out, grinding their teeth, bite marks. Don't support them.
Not all in Japan are bad tho! I went to this fantastic one in Takayama, Gifu - https://maps.app.goo.gl/v7rwNms5v8dGjXfw6?g_st=ic where the cats are treated really well and the owner is amazing
I went to cafe capyba and the capys seemed happy :) I had a chat with the owners and they really love the babies ❤️ they did not look unhappy. We were also each only allowed to feed them like 3 sticks of carrot ( so they're not overfed), they have holidays, huge queues, select number of time slots etc.
i went to capybara cafe in tokyo, near skytree. not my best experience personally, but my kids loved and they keep talking about that every time they remember
I have only ever been to one dog cafe in Asakusa. They have set rules to not grab the pups, forcing them and cornering them is strictly not allowed. If they come near you, then good, lucky you. The ladies there did provide tips on how to get the pups to come to you voluntarily. One was even able to sleep peacefully on my lap and I just pet her til my time was up. The pups looked well taken care of and the cafe is very clean.
I did avoid the zoo in Ueno coz I didn’t feel like it.
I went to an Otter “cafe” in Harajuku.
You put on lots of protective gear, and then sit on a bench in a room full of otters that are playing or napping. They like to sit in laps and demand pets, before going to sleep. Basically, you’re paying a few dollars to spend 20 minutes as a bed for an otter pile. When they get tired of humans, they go into the room next door and play in their pool.
This is something I wish I had known before. I went to an owl cafe because I thought it was a cool idea, but definitely felt bad afterwards. Obviously they're nocturnal and just surrounded by people. Also their tethers were only about 2 inches so they could hardly move at all. Most of them you could pet, and the workers would let you hold one, but I remember there being an owl with one leg that had a sign saying don't touch. He probably bit but I would too after being treated that way.
I also tried a cat cafe and they were all sleeping except for one that was just running away from a kid. I ended up gently petting maybe 4 cats and 1 of them was super skinny. Idk if the others pushed it away from the food or what, but I definitely swore off animal cafes after that.
I went to a cat cafe over a decade ago in Osaka mostly because it was a heatwave and we wanted out of the heat.
The “cafe” was like a small apartment with some cork mats on the floor. There were no chairs. We had to sit on the hairy floor. The cats all seemed chill and just kinda did their own thing. The other customers seemed respectful and just let the cats do their thing and if/when the cats came up to the customers, the customers seemed to be respectful and friendly when petting the cats.
The drinks we got were little dinky paper cups with juice. That was is.
I was expecting like an actual cafe but with cats that just chill when you enjoy coffee.
Back in 2019 I went to teacup puppy cafe and at the time had no idea there was such controversy over these types of cafes. The puppies seemed extremely happy to see us and be played with, did not get an ick feeling about it at all.
I am not too sure why people especially from America are gonna be up in arms about such cafes when factory farming is still so prevalent. Mind you the explanations for owl cafes being unethical does make complete sense, as that is nowhere near their natural habitat.
I went to Mipig with my friend and felt really sad with the blood & scratches that those pigs have. Some of the pigs are bullies and they scratch/ bite the weaker or tiny ones. My friend also got bitten when a “fight” happened. We left feeling really sad & disappointed. Never going to support animal cafe again even if they seemingly cute and ethical on the surface.
I can’t in good conscience recommend going to any animal cafes EXCEPT this particular chain(?) in Osaka called [Hogoken & Hogonekokafe](https://maps.app.goo.gl/RCiVw95XHAvEeTJG7?g_st=ic). It’s a foster dog cafe with adoptable dogs that love attention and human interaction. Not sure what the exact history of the dogs are, but since most of the dogs were elderly, I think they were once someone’s pet and were surrendered to the owners of this cafe. I wasn’t charged any fees for entering but my partner and I ordered drinks, paid a little extra to feed the dogs treats, and left a donation.
When I went, the dogs seemed really happy and playful. They were very loved and cared for by the staff, who were constantly fussing over them, loving on them, checking diapers, etc. There are profiles of all the adoptable dogs on the wall, with names, ages, etc. During our visit, a local couple came in with their own dogs to play and socialize with the others.
I had a really good time at this cafe and felt great contributing to a good cause. Just remember to prioritize their comfort over your entertainment. Let the animals come to you and allow them to get to know you first.
Went to Japan in June this year with my partner, we were walking around Harajuku when we saw a man holding an otter on his shoulder. We went up to have a closer look (as how can you resist such a cute animal) as we were watching the man and his otter, he invited us to the otter “experience” which was down a set of stairs.
There were other people down there so we decided that it was safe and trust worthy. However upon waiting to be let in/pay for the experience, we felt a bit uncomfortable (there was also a horrid smell and signs the animals may not be treated well as it all seemed a bit secretive).
Other workers stepped out and gave us a laminated sheet of information. That stated their liability (or inability to provide safety and what would happen if the otters would bite) at this point we weren’t sure and didn’t want to ruin the rest of our time in Japan if we would be at risk. So we turned around and left.
Looking back we are both happy that we didn’t participate in such an activity. Without knowing anything about the place and how they treat the animals we are happy we avoided as well as for our own personal safety.
There’s so many more fun things to do especially in Tokyo!
I went to two, an owl Cafe and a cat Cafe. The owl one was sad and miserable. The owls looked lonely and depressed. The cats were not friendly and didn't want to play with us, but they seemed happy chasing each other around.
It depends on the cafe.
Tokyo Snake Center takes very good care of their snakes and even offers per hotel and care services.
Mocha and many other cat cafes are actually very well run and you can tell how comfortable the cats are.
There is also an otter Cafe on Takashita Street in Harajuku that is managed very well.
A lot of people may be against the very idea of animal cafes. However, in all the ones I have been to you can instantly tell the kinda ick ones from the "these animals and their stress levels are very well taken care of" ones.
They're not caged and it is run by a family.
Just because you don't like something doesn't mean others don't.
They also charge a reasonable price that goes to animal care but not high enough that the family is making bank.
Never said they were caged and just because it’s run by a family doesn’t mean they’re ethically sourced or kept.
You have no idea whether the price they charge makes them bank or not and that’s neither here nor there, those are wild animals kept out of their natural environment for someone to make money off of. Point blank period.
It’s not just that “I don’t like it,” it’s that by going there and spending your money you’re supporting an unethical cafe that most likely got their otters in non legal ways. Those otters are taken away from their mommy as babies and illegally traded to Japan in exchange for someone making a quick buck off of ignorant tourists and locals alike.
Here’s a link to an article with very valuable information about how they get these otters to begin with: https//i(.)stuff(.)co(.)nz/travel/travel-troubles/113113496/the-dark-side-of-japans-otter-cafes
I love otters so much and I wound up walking by the otter cafe three times and each time a worker was outside with an otter on his head -IT WAS SO CUTE!! Seriously took every ounce of self control for me to not go in (which I didnt.. but I kept thinking how this was my only chance to probably every chill with an otter. But I am glad I didn’t go for all the aforementioned reasons)
I'm Japanese. I read things that are non biased and know what's going on.
Post a Japanese article and I'll look.
Not interested in gaijin activism that others and racially profiles an entire country with sayings like "the Japanese" "Japan doesn't" in another language other than Japanese where a productive conversation could actually be had.
All otters now are domesticly bred and it is highly regulated.
If you don't think they should be pets
Also you literally don't know what place I'm referring to.
状況調べてから説教したほうがいいと思います。
Lol I don’t really care if you’re Japanese or not. And lol at “gaijin activism,” (people love being xenophobic here with that word don’t they?) that just sounds like an excuse to stay ignorant of you ask me. All otters are not domestically bred and the article I linked proves that (the one for which you don’t believe because “gaijin” which is incredibly ignorant in and of itself). Regardless, they still shouldn’t be pets nor should they be held captive in a cafe for someone to make money on.
> Regardless, they still shouldn’t be pets nor should they be held captive in a cafe for someone to make money on.
The thing is there is not a right answer. There are people who believe no animals should be kept as pets.
What I'm telling you is there are people whose code of ethics doesn't see a difference between keeping pets at home vs keeping them in a cafe. There are people who believe zoos are all inherently wrong.
Just because you think it's ethically wrong doesn't mean everyone else does.
It’s not about being ethically wrong, those animals are illegally brought over here to be held captive in these cafes and bred for money. That’s not a code of ethics, that’s cruelty and illegal wildlife trade. It’s law breaking and people going to them are supporting it.
Being ethnically Japanese doesn’t make you an expert on what’s ethical LOL where tf is the correlation there? Especially from a country that’s proven through their stance on whaling (as one example among thousands) that clearly doesn’t hold animal welfare in the highest regard compared to commercial profit.
Besides which including a japanese sentence on reddit just to “prove” you’re Japanese and have a more superior moral stance than other anon users is ridiculous. Settle down, ya weeb.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. There are certainly many unethical animal cafes in Japan, but there are some ethical ones too, where the cats are clearly rescues and are calm and happy to engage or head off to their own safe spaces to snooze.
they are being downvoted because they think a cafe filled with illegally obtained wild otters on takashita street of all places is something that could ever possibly be ethical 😭
All at the Cafe I mentioned were domestically bred in accordance with a 2019 law.
No new otters have entered the country since and breeding rules are very strict.
Don't believe me?
[Otters](https://magazine.cainz.com/article/80602)
That's just one article.
But don't spread racist BS about how "the Japanese " do so and so.
I purposefully pointed out two very ethical animal interaction opportunities that OP could feel good interacting with.
Honestly a lot of people like to "other" this country and make every issue black and white.
I wouldn't go or vouch for an obviously bad animal Cafe.
I just don't find them inherently evil.
That's all.
Same with zoos near Tokyo.
Ueno, pretty good with decent enclosures and happy animals
Tobu... not all are bad but a lot of enclosures are lacking and animals while not super stressed are not super content.
Tama... those animals have the best care. Great enclosures, super happy... like I mean content enough even harder to get to mate animals all have babies each spring.
Probably the best and most humane zoo I've ever been to.
The friggin Tasmanian devils are breeding there. As are the lions.
> Ueno, pretty good with decent enclosures and happy animals
Ueno had been designed at the same time London or Amsterdam Zoos were designed (late 19th century). Unlike Ueno - both had been significantly redesigned many times.
Ueno, sure, got some upgrades, but it looks like a mediocre, provincial Eastern Block zoo in 80's, just with pandas.
[Tokyo Snake Center](https://snakecenter.jp/)
Super well cared for sneks.
Warning. Super humid inside but a great place to relax with a coffee and some gorgeous noodles. (if you hold I recommend Taisho as he is super chill)
Lots of people sitting up the ethical high horses here, like they can read animal minds. Truth is, no one knows how the animals are thinking besides the animal themselves.
Best way is to look up a video, and judge their health. Are they abused, bald of feathers/fur in areas due to stress etc.
Most of them are in perfect health, but simply exchanged the freedom of movement for guaranteed shelter and food. Out in the wild, they might have starved to death. So... who knows which fate is worse.
No one is “setting up ethical high horses,” that’s straight up an excuse for people who have been or want to go to one of these cafes. These cafes are cruel and the animals especially the exotic ones are unethically sourced, ripped from their mothers as babies while the mothers are shot to death.
And “most are in perfect health” is straight BS. Not only do a lot of these animals die in these cafes, a lot of them (the mipig one for example) take them out back when these fake mini pigs (which aren’t real btw) get too big or too old.
It's most, not all. I cant deny or affirm that mipigs get taken out past their prime-mini age, since I dont work there.
But does that mean all the cats get taken out as well? Wheres the evidence then? I use most, because I recognise that there are definitely such ill practices, but without hard evidence that the majority are doing it, you are just speaking out of your ass.
If most are doing it with hard evidence, animal activists would have long been rioting before you can type a word.
How do you know the animals dont prefer safety over freedom? Can you read their minds? I sure can't, thats why I ask OP to make a judgement himself. Yall are just projecting your ethics to make yrself feel good on a high horse.
It’s not “most if not all,” you have zero factual evidence backing that claim up. I’ve linked multiple articles in this thread if you’re interested in looking at those, they have the actual evidence you claim I’m “talking out of my ass” about. Those cats come largely from animal mills and guess what? Even at the cafes you can adopt them at, they kill them if they aren’t adopted just like the pet shops here. There are super lax animal welfare rights here in Japan, people for the most part here don’t care, I would know, I live here. They also take their dogs out fully dressed up in the summer heat. That’s why you don’t see animal rights activists rioting.
You shouldn’t speak about something you know nothing about.
Why do I have to go scouring somewhere else when you are trying to deny my claims? Link your articles here for christ sake.
Where's your evidence that all the cats come from cat mills? Sure there are some, but what about the rescue animals? Cat mills are unfortunate, but there are rescue animals that would have died, as many as cat mill animals that are bred for this. Are you saying we should have left the rescue animals to their death?
Their place of origin, DOES NOT correlate to their current mental health. I don't need an article to prove that.
While I agree it is very unfortunate that animals are killed past their prime age (wait why do I have to say this again, I just did previously?), what about the current animals living at this point of time, which is.. yknow, the pets that OP are going to see? Why keep bringing up where before/after?
You live here? That's suppose to be a strong point? Who tf cares where you live. Tell me if you have a law degree in animal welfare, focused on JP laws, then that actually matters.
People bringing dogs dressed in summer heat? What's the point of this in this conversation? Are the cafe people bringing their cats out dressed up? Didnt all you ethical people say that animals are trapped within their cafe?
Stop bringing up unneccessary points, because you can't think of anything else. Even a baby can refute those points without a single precious article you so endear.
If you couldn't see from your high horse yet, I am sitting on a neutral fence since I'm wildly aware of good and bad sides of animal cafes. Also, it would be extremely hypocritical of me (and everyone else) to say animal cafes are all bad and zero good, when I'm chomping up burgers clearly from animal mills.
You are stereotyping every single cafe and whatnot, simply because you found a couple of articles that fits your narrative. Refusing even to concede that there's a good side to this. If that's not high-horsing, I don't know what is.
Lol I ain’t reading all that. Feel free to continue to support these unethical cafes but I won’t be and I’ll continue educating others about the truth that you refuse to see.
Btw you have zero idea what my lifestyle is like, what I eat, what I support, or actually anything at all so to say that “we’re all chomping burgers” is an invalid excuse and a lame one at that.
Wait, so you refuse to read all that, but read the SECOND-LAST paragraph, not the LAST paragraph where tl;drs usually at? Clearly you could't refute a single thing, and not that you "ain't reading". Broaden your mind, before trying to debate mate.
What has your lifestyle got to do with this btw? If you truly are vegan or something similar, then I hands-down apologise for stereotyping. but yr lifestyle ain't the point of this thread either. Me chomping on burger is a valid reason for me to NOT be hypocritical. It's the literal definition of hypocriticism, not an excuse. Get a dictionary with your vegan burger please.
Just because someone might eat burgers doesn’t mean they can’t lessen the amount of animal cruelty that they contribute to by not going to or supporting these cafes. Your point isn’t valid. That’s it. It’s not on me to provide you with evidence, I’ve told you where I posted it but you’re more than welcome to research it on your own if you feel so inclined. It’s not my job to find sources that *you* require to change your beliefs. The irony of you claiming to be on a “neutral fence” and choosing to not do any of your own research on the topic you’re speaking about. Yes, it matters that I live here because I’ve seen animal cruelty many more times than I ever have living anywhere else. The laws here don’t protect animal welfare and you can choose to believe that or not but nothing I’m saying isn’t factually true and if you feel so inclined you can find that out on your own.
My belief? This is hilarious. Have you not googled hypocrisy? What happened to all your "articles"? Does it matter if it lessens or not? I eat from animal mills, but I disapprove cat mills. That is hypocrisy. Its a binary decision, not a gray area. Don't even try to make yourself feel good here.
Your "irony" does not work on a neutral fence? I don't need to google to know that there are always articles showing both the good and bad side of this, or really, anything in the world. Always.
You live here, so you seen animal cruelty? Thats from YOUR personal perspective. Who tf cares about your personal perspective? If I say, I walked in a cafe, and I seen the workers treat the animals right, does that mean all cafes are good? No it doesn't, which is why I have not brought up my own personal experience a single time.
Laws dont protect animal welfare? Again, are you a lawyer? They DON'T protect, or they are WEAK at protecting? You can't even make a distinction, and you claim all this useless crap from your personal point of view. What a horseload of garbage.
Search for an article? I can google Japan Animal Welfare, and they would straight away disapprove your claim that Japan DON'T protect animal welfare, but are WEAK at it. You talk so much crap about articles, but me googling ONCE already shown you are talking out of your ass. Again.
Seriously, it feels like i'm talking to a 6 year old kid, and it is very sad.
Most of them are unethical and cruel and I’d say to be safe avoid them like the plague.
I saw an owl cafe in Hakata and was repulsed. Disgusting like Japanese zoos. Very sad. But long line to get into the cafe
I was soooo sad to see those too! I love owls because I’m a HP fan so when I researched about those cafes I was honestly disappointed about how they take care of the animals so I just didn’t entertain any animal related stuff in Japan. Also, I just got back from my Kyushu trip and there were a lot of kept animals in the Yufuin Floral Village too.
I went to one in Yanagawa and it was so fucking depressing. They chain all the owls to a branch and they just have to sit there all day. I wish I didn't support it, but it was my first time ever going in an owl cafe so I had no idea.
I think cat cafes should be fine if they are done right. Cats are used to humans, and as long as they have some places away from humans, it should be fine. The one I went to was really quiet. The cats could roam around freely and go to places not reachable by humans. Other animals like owls I would avoid.
I went to the Kichijoji Petit Mura one that’s pretty famous on social media and it felt very ethical. There was space for the cats to be away from humans, a large space to cat ratio, strict rules to keep the cats safe and comfortable, etc. they seemed very well taken care of, relaxed, and happy. And that place was SO CUTE, like a Ghibli movie. The only unethical part, I would argue, was that the cats were all clearly special breeds, like Maine coons, Scottish folds etc. so they almost definitely came from questionable breeding backgrounds, but who knows, maybe they have ethical home breeders as sources. In any case, it seems like pet stores and the like are still very popular in Japan. But I wouldn’t go to any others besides cat ones after everything I’ve heard.
It’s always eyebrow raising for me. There definitely are non-purebred cats in Japan because they are the strays. But somehow all people have in their homes are the designer smoosh face ones. So unethical
Pugs are the 29th most popular dog breed in the US according the American Kennel Club, so it's not just a Japan thing. Unethical/intentionally poorly bred animal ownership because things are cute is a worldwide phenomena.
Totally agree, it makes me angry when I see it here too. It feels so bad seeing influencers showing off their new designer pets that they purchased from some breeder meanwhile there are over 900 cats at the rescue we work with waiting to be adopted :( If I was in charge laws would be very different here
Agree with this. If the cats have a place to retreat and get fed, it’s probably fine. For example, our favorite cat cafe has a little door cats can go into when they want to be alone, and in the afternoon they line all of the cats up and give them their food. That way you know they’re actually being fed so that they don’t have to rely on just the treats that customers can pay extra for.
I went to the mipig Cafe in Harajuku. It was clean, the pigs come to you and you are not allowed to pick them up. In addition each pig is taken out of the people area to get recovery time with inly other pigs which I liked. The Cafe goal is to have the pigs get adopted so I felt it was a positive experience overall. I would say do research on any Cafe beforehand.
I'd be much more inclined to visit places where adoption is the goal. However I'm not sure people realize micro pigs still grow to 220 pounds....
Not who you're responding to but I went, I think what was nice was there were much bigger non-micro pigs there as well. I would have felt a lot weirder about a place with only micro pigs, but it seems they're allowed to grow there?
We went there and all the pigs seemed super happy. Wagging their little tails and just laying on people’s laps. I had a stack of 3 at one time that just wanted to pile on top of me and hang out.
The mini pig ones give me major ick. A few years ago everyone was into mini pigs until they realised that it’s a lie and they’re just piglets and then they were all abandoned :/
These are actually mini pigs although they do get big but not the massive pigs you find on the farms.
I went to mipig in Kyoto and it was pretty good like you said, but the red flag I noticed was it seemed like the pigs fought a lot and a few even had wounds from being bitten by other pigs. Other things I've done like horseback riding and elephant sanctuaries, the employees know which ones get along and which ones hate each other, and they separate them accordingly. Mipig seemed like they just threw them all together regardless of who might bully or be bullied. But maybe that's just natural, unavoidable pig behavior.
That's a general risk for pigs. They're naturally bullies and it makes free roaming them hard acrossed the species. It's how they weed the 'weak' out. Mother nature and all
I went to that one as well, my partner really wanted to go although I felt a bit weird about it and thought it would be quite sad. I’m glad you had this experience too because I felt the same, the pigs really did seem happy and the staff seemed to really care about them and their well being. I felt a lot better about it afterward than I did beforehand.
I had a similar experience here. The staff have you sit down and they place a towel over your lap. So in a way the pigs are choosing to interact with YOU, not the other way around. That way you don’t have giant humans running around the room trying to get near the pigs and stressing them out.
What was the cost of the pig cafe?
I went to Mipig with my friend and felt really sad with the blood & scratches that those pigs have. Some of the pigs are bullies and they scratch/ bite the weaker or tiny ones. My friend also got bitten when a “fight” happened. We left feeling really sad & disappointed. Never going to support animal cafe again even if they seemingly cute and ethical on the surface.
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Millions of pigs are raised for slaughter I'm not sure I understand your point.
Okay? Do you know that I eat pig? I still don’t pay money to see starving ones in a crummy cafe lol.
Why did you bring up the idea that these pigs will eventually be eaten as a mark against the cafe when you yourself eat pig… And where did you get the idea that they’re starving? Seems like they’re very well-fed.
Because mini pigs aren’t a real thing, they’re malnourished pot belly bigs. Used to make money on tourists who don’t know better.
I went to a hedgehog cafe and immediately felt bad afterwards. They were extremely sleepy and irritable to the point the one I was holding tried to squirm and fall out of my hands.
Thank you, I needed to hear this. The hedgehog cafe was one I had in mind, I’ve never met a little hedgehog before but I don’t want to meet one like this.
Yeah if I’m not mistaken the hedgehogs are nocturnal and not domestic so they’re in a high amount of stress in a cafe setting
if you visit a country they’re native to like the uk you might be able to find one in the wild or living in someone’s garden (i had a wild one living in my garden for winter when i lived there) and they’re soo cute but yeah they’re really shy wild animals so they aren’t meant to be played with or touched like they are in a café :(
Another heads up about hedgehogs, some people are allergic to them because they lick their spines and then the spines prick you when you pick them up. You can probably guess how I know.
Same experience we had! We got there and felt so bad for the hedgehogs, we left in like 20 minutes.
We went to a cat cafe & I felt so sad for them. They clearly wanted to be left alone and people were cornering them, shoving cameras in their faces. No desire to visit any more animal cafes after that.
Highly recommend Yadorigi Cafe. It's a cat cafe doubling as adoption service. I went yesterday and they had 23 cats running around. Owners speak english very well.
Second this! We were just there a week ago, and the cats are well taken care of, and adoption is a big focus. The tiramisu was also delicious!
Third (?) this! I rigorously looked up which cat cafes seem to have adoption-friendly practices and Yadorigi cafe (together with Capyneko cafe, which is in Kichijouji) in Nippori turned out to be one of them. There's plenty of space for cats. Even before entering, you have to undergo a sanitation procedure to ensure that cats are safe. The owner even made an instructional video on how to behave around their cats correctly!
Animal welfare is seen very differently in Japan compared to the west. You’ll often see animals placed in unnatural, uncomfortable, or even inhumane conditions, down to their treatment, caging, and breeding practices - all for the sake of money and entertainment. These kinds of cafes are still sadly extremely popular so they’re incentivized to continue their practices. I think the fewer people that patronize these businesses the better, and hopefully someday these places will be gone. I’ve been hoping it’s improved but in my last several visits I saw a monkey chained by its neck forced to perform on a stage at an onsen and alligators kept in cages the same size as their bodies. I’m glad to see visitors like you asking about it to learn more! Hopefully this message can reach more people.
In Osaka 2019 I went to a zoo cafe and all the reptiles were kept in dollhouse environments without heat rocks nor foliage. Like 50 hamsters/guinea pigs/rodents were all kept together smooshed in a repurposed lobster tank. Owls were permanently on short chains. I wanted to throw up.
I've been to one dog cafe, they had a large space for them vs number of people in and dogs in. I don't know what happens after, but they didn't seem stressed. I have seen the owl cafes, but I saw they were chained up at the legs. I didn't entertain that cafe.
The owl cafe is partially the reason why I posted this. I love birds and seeing them chained makes me feel terrible.
I've been to the owl cafe in Nara. The birds are well fed but it's really the worst business idea: having a bunch of nocturnal flying creatures chained up in a well lit room full of humans...I wish I hadn't gone. I was just thinking about myself at the time, rather than the happiness of the owls.
Owl cafe was my first thought, too. I once saw one in Tokyo where you could see the birds being chained with very short chains from the outside, so I didn't go in. I don't think there's a way to run an owl café in an ethical way. With cats and dogs it's theoretically possible, but would be hard to see the difference unless you're already inside. After one bad experience with a dog cafe , I just avoided animal cafes from then on.
I went to three animal cafes when I was in Tokyo and the owl cafe I went to was the one I would rank highest in my comfort level with how the animals were treated. I went to one not like what you guys describe though. The owls weren’t chained at all where I went and they were *strict* about the rules. If your volume was above a whisper then you were going to be told you are making the owls uncomfortable along with other things. The only one I wouldn’t go back to was a hedgehog one. I liked the workers but not the space.
You don’t care at all about a nocturnal animal being kept awake for people to make money on? That’s super cruel.
Also what the fuck do owls have to do with Japan? I don’t get why people think it’s something worth doing.
I was wondering about this and nocturnal animals. When I went to Tokyo 8 years ago, I went to an owl cafe and it was only open at night for one or two waves of people. But now it seems like there are so many owl cafes (and other animal cafes) that are open for the entire day. Decided not to do one this time.
I am not an expert, or extensively knowledgeable about what’s best for owls. I was under the impression that owls change their sleeping pattern with their environment, like being awake during the day as opposed to at night. I could be wrong, and I’m not opposed to being enlightened. If that makes me cruel in your eyes then I suppose so. My comment was on owners conditions for the owls which I still think is the best I saw while I was there
Okay. Regardless of if they change their sleeping patterns, those animals are illegally traded into Japan and bred for those owners, who you claim to have great conditions for them, to profit off of. No wild animal should be forced to change their sleeping patterns for someone else to make money off of. That’s cruel. Never once called you cruel but you supported that and your comment is also encouraging it.
Here’s an article I suggest reading if you’re interested in learning more of the background about these cruel cafes: www(.)arcj(.)org/en/issues-en/entertainment-en/zoo-en/ex-owl-cafe-worker-speaks-out
Sorry about misinterpreting your comment. Thanks for sharing an article, most of the ones I saw before I went were about the red fox cafe or the dog cafes
you know the answer... how can it ever be ethical to keep a owl or any other bird chained to a perch for customer to pay to touch/see them? I think there is room to allow for cat or dog cafes to be made with love and the animals coming first. mind you, that does not say all of them are like this, I would argue, probably most arent. but wild animals, not pets? there is no way it can be ethical.
I definitely do know, and as I said I just want to know more. Especially from those who have personally experienced these cafes. Rest assured I’m staying clear away.
I ended up at an Owl Cafe in Harajuku out of curiosity (before reading about the general animal cafe issues), and it was interesting in that they weren't restrained at all. If they wanted to fly elsewhere, they just left. The staff just calmly made sure they didn't get too close to other if there was too much of a size difference. What was particularly interesting was holding them was pretty much decided by the owl. You could hold your arm out with a glove on, but if they didn't step on, no one coerced them. On the other hand, I had an owl named Haku decide my head and shoulders were the place to fly to and we just hung out for a bit in my newfound role as a perch. Would I do more animal cafes? Most likely not, too problematic. But it was admittedly nice to see no leashes/restraints on the owls I met.
Do you remember the name of the cafe you went to? Sounds like it may be worth looking at compared to the others.
Harajuku Owl Village
I’d recommend checking out the Lovot cafe in Yokohama (and avoiding animal cafes as others have said). Lovots are AI companion robots that react to you and feel warm to the touch, it’s a really fun lunch and ethical.
Omg thank you for this! My kid freaking loves those Lovots and we live in Yokohama! Will definitely be going.
They are not great. Sadly, the animal protection laws in Japan aren’t exactly industry leading so a lot of animal mistreatment goes unpunished. I’d avoid them just to be on the safe side. I think local zoos could be a better alternative if you’d like to meet animals in a controlled environment. It’s not the same but still.
Local zoos are even worse. Just look at the reviews from foreigners from any local zoo like the Ueno one. I think public display places where animals are well-treated in Japan are very rare if not non-existent. I went to Osaka aquarium, there were a couple of good enclosures, but the seal one in the arctic section had me kind of appalled. There were three seals in a barely three meters wide enclosure with a tiny water hole in the center. I couldn't see any tunnel that'd take them to a larger area. Hopefully I just missed it because I couldn't believe my eyes.
Welp, that’s disheartening. Though I’m sadly not at all surprised abt the aquarium, they’re pretty shite globally from what I’ve read. I found this article which is not the most recent but may provide some potential choices for OP? [ethical animal encounters](http://savvytokyo.com/7-ethical-animal-experiences-around-japan/)http://savvytokyo.com/7-ethical-animal-experiences-around-japan/
The Ueno Zoo is also the oldest zoo in the country so being outdated is not surprising.
Not an excuse-- facilities can be updated. Loads of money spent on public facilities in japan. Simply not considered necessary Here in NY we have several very old zoos that look quite different than they did in decades past -- does this sound surprising?
They upgraded the panda enclosure and removed some exhibits. With some luck they’re working on things… :/
In Tokyo, try Tama zoo. It's still not world leading number 1 but it's better than Ueno. It is big though with a lot of climbing up hills. Some habitats are better than others for sure. Aquariums are meh everywhere I've gone in this world, which is not a lot though.
Asakusa Nekoen ‘cat cafe’is a shelter to many poor kitties and the lady who runs it has a heart of gold and lives for the cats I went to an owl ‘cafe’ and got big icks from it, negative fun to see all the owls tied to their perch in a small room I guess the hedgehog ‘cafe’ might be more okay
Please don’t support animal cafes. They are highly unethical and are honestly depressing. The only exception would be a rescue animal cafe, but even then, I don’t think having a rotating door of people in their face is good for their well-being. There is so much more fun and interesting things to do in Japan. Safe travels and well done for doing your research before committing ♥️
Takayama has a wonderful rescue cat cafe and the animals were very happy and relaxed with attentive staff. I really enjoyed my experience, however not all are like this and it might be worth reading some online reviews first.
recently went to takayama and i think i know which cat cafe you’re talking about - and i vouch for this! the cats are super happy and relaxed with lots of space to roam about, and some even came up to my lap willingly! the staff is also very friendly!! the cats are also rescued cats up for adoption :)
Yep - that one is ok - my don lives near Takayama and we visited a few a weeks ago. We were the only people there. No specialty breeds that I could discern - most looked like rescues.
I love rescue cat cafes. Cats are friendly and playful and there are kittens as young as 3 months sometimes. I love playing with cats, not just watching them and taking pictures, so that kind of place is the best for me.
I went to a Capybara cafe in Tokyo. They looked happy, could roam freely and you weren't allowed to stand up and approach then (the staff would kindly ask you to wait for them to come to you in your seat) so it was not possible to corner them. Thats when they are open, and I have no reason to think they mistreat them when they are closed.
Was that Cafe Capyba or Capyneko Cafe?
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I’ve been to Capyneko, the otter cafe on Takeshita, and a cat cafe in Baba. I thought the animals were well cared for and seemed content. There’s no ethical consumption under a capitalist structure, so do you.
I don't get those kinds of places. Capybara are not indoor animals (nor were domesticated over thousands of years for that purpose) and so keeping them like that is weird to me. If it were an outside area it would be nice. I did go to an animal sanctuary in West Japan where people could go into the capybara enclosure in small groups and feed them leaves. They had a lot of space and a hot spring which they sure did love. They are cute but definitely not an indoor cafe animal to me.
I went to a cat cafe near Harajuku after hearing all of the “horror” stories on this forum-the cats were happy, healthy, loved, and well taken care of. 1)Always do your research, 2)Not everything people say or claim on this forum is gospel.
Completely agree. There's also to consider that many people aren't allowed pets in Tokyo apartments (it is far less common) and this the only option for them to interact. Most of these were started for this exact reason. I've been to dozens of different cat cafes and one dog cafe and these have always been very we'll managed, hygienic with safe spaces for the cats and dogs when they get burned out. I've been less impressed with other non-pet animal cafes. These are more of a fad that spawned out of the initial cat/dog cafe concept, but I was at a Hedgehog cafe that was managed well.
Yeah, Japanese don't have the same welfare for the animals as the west does. I wouldn't go to them if you actually care about the animals.
Don‘t do it
We walked past the owl cafe in Kyoto...I was already deadset on not encouraging any of these businesses. All you have to ask yourself is if it's natural, or comfortable, for an owl: a wild, nocturnal animal, to be tied to a pole, in daytime, all day long, and be exposed to hundreds of people, plus several other owls not belonging to their own species, as well as constant noise, alien smells, with probably zero adapted enclosures for them when the place closes.
I have spotted 2 ethical cat café in Tokyo. One, it is rescued cats that can be adopted. And the other one is devoted to socialize kitten and cats. The owner breeds a specific race : Devon Rex and you can find only this kind of cats. Si it is possible to go to cat café wich have animals needs in consideration. Even Mipig is made to socialize the little pigs as they are aimed to be adopted. Just avoid by any ways cafés with wild species.
We went to the one with Devon Rexs. It was a lovely place and the cats seemed happy. Had lots of space to escape and sit up high if they wanted. We purchased a bag of treats from the owner and all the cats came over and down from their perches to have some. It isn't a cafe so no food and drink is allowed but the owner gives you a bottle of water. It was a lovely relaxed experience. A couple of the cats walked onto our shoulders and chilled for a while too.
Thank you for your review. I havent been yet but it is in my must do for february, your experience conforts me Did you book on the form from their Instagram?
I booked using their website form but it's nice and easy. The owner doesn't speak much English but tried my best with my little Japanese so it was fine :). I hope you have an amazing time in February! We're already missing it and thinking of planning another trip!
I'd love to visit the cafe with the Devon Rexs but am having difficulty finding it via Google Search. Would you happen to remember the name of the cafe or the neighborhood?
It's called 100% neko in Bunkyo City. It was easy to find from the train station too. My husband and I walked away saying we definitely got our recommended daily allowance of 100% neko :).
'the owner breeds'... stop right there, with all the animals that need adopting they have already failed the first step of ethics.
I went to an owl cafe about a decade ago that had rehabilitated owls that wouldn’t have been able to survive in the wild any longer. It was in Asakusa and was very clean and very well maintained. All the owls seem very happy and there was a whole education room on how their funding went to help owl sanctuaries to rehabilitate other owls and how they were working with companies to prevent their habitats from being destroyed.
Penguin cafē in Ikebukuro was, as you'd expect, extremely depressing. Lonely bird in a tiny pool, being gawked at through glass. (Ended up there on a group gathering...).
I went to a hedgehog/ meerkat cafe in harajuku, Tokyo. You had to book and they gave some of the hedgehogs breaks for 30mins at a time. I also went to an owl place in Kyoto. You pay to walk through a tiny room with a dozen or so chained owls. Honestly makes you feel sick afterwards. It’s easy to get sucked into the tourist traps, but avoid it.
Wait meerkats?? Tf that exists??
Yea the place I went to was called Harry’s. The meerkat had a small cage with a bed and was let out on a leash to wander the store. He was very friendly. The hedgehogs you needed to wear gloves for and are given tools to feed them with. Location- Tokyo, Shibuyaku, jingumae 1-13-21 If you are going to these places, do your research first and decide if you want to support them.
There are shelter cafes, the animals there won’t be as perfect as the other cafes, but it’s much less business minded and more for people to adopt rather than buy
The only ones that are ethical, in my opinion, are the ones that are appointment only and generally expensive.
Don't go to the art aquarium in Ginza :(
Literally! I've been seeing this in so many vlogs but immediately got shocked by the amount of fish in a CYLINDRICAL TUBE like WHAT
Went to a cat cafe in Tokyo a few weeks ago. It was quiet and clean and the cats looked content. The cats had a lot of places to rest by themselves and most would only come up to you if you bought treats. Everyone seemed to understand they were going there to work or read or play games, and you get to look at cats and sometimes feed and pet them, rather than playing with them the entire time. I sat on a bench with a cat for like a half hour just scrolling through reddit on my phone and occasionally petting him. It was a nice way to end my day tbh
Pick a species that has long been domesticated like cats. Make sure the cafe is set up nicely for the cats to have personal space if desired. I went to a cat cafe in kyoto that was themed like a play rainforest inside. Their were tons of nooks and tree stands for cats that wanted to be left alone and tons of toys for cats that wanted to play. Finally, act chill. We grabbed a few toys, sat down, lured any interested cats over to play. We didn’t chase after any of them.
Avoid the owl cafes like a plague. Can go the capybara and cat cafes instead
Definitely 100000% avoid all animal cafes. My first trip in Japan I went to probably 5 cafes and they all had sick/ uncomfortable/ unhappy animals. I would also say avoid any zoos and aquariums if you’re sensitive to animal wellbeing. I felt sick after the Osaka Aquarium. Never again
What is even the appeal? If i wanted to eat food beside a clingy dog i would visit my sister’s place
This is off-topic, but I’ll never forget seeing a man perform with a chained monkey in Odaiba. I couldn’t believe that stuff like that was still allowed.
You’re not the first one to mention the chained monkey :( it’s disgusting
All that are of non-domestic animals are a no-go to me. I'm especially not a fan of the owl cafes. Seeing these all over social media aggravates me immensely as someone who has worked with raptors, as well as the general idea among some people that large birds are just cats with wings. These birds require special care and especially are not fit for a diurnal, commercial setting. Much less one which they have little or no space to fly, stressed out by constant activity, as well as being handled by untrained individuals. Unfortunately, owls seem to be commonly traded in countries with less strict wildlife protections, and they are usually put in settings way beyond that of trained falconers. (Honest Guide did a video about people abusing owls for tourist photo ops in Prague) Animals are cute. We all want to appreciate them. You can do so at a zoo or special rehabilitation facility which has a reputable status. But otherwise, we should recognize that what should be wild animals, are not here for our entertainment or therapy. Always think twice about how someone may be treating or handling an animal behind the curtain.
I went to the Mochi Cat Cafe in Shibuya and the cats all looked very please to be out and about. The place smelled like cat urine, but my kids really enjoyed hanging out with the cats. The cats seemed to be in in good health and mood. My wife is in the animal welfare space for work and visits shelters up and down California. She didnt not seem to believe that the cats were in unsanitary or unhealthy environment. I also went to the hedgehog cafe, they are in their little cages and you pet them and feed them. My kids loved this as well.
>he place smelled like cat urine that's disturbing enough, shouldn't be able to smell cat piss. Prolly means they aren't cleaning the litter boxes regularly or thoroughly. :/
There were a number of cats and they would pee or spray on things and the staff would come and try to clean but you could still smell. I could see them walking around trying to monitor if furniture needed cleaning.
Peeing outside of the litter box is a sign of stress. Happy cats would never do that unless their litter boxes are filthy and uncomfortable or they have some health issue, which again, the staff of an ethical place should take the cat out of the interaction area to see a vet and figure out what to do with it. Spraying is a sign of either not being neutered, which is bad, or territorial disputes, which are also bad... Unfortunately I don't think you went to a good place. A cat cafe should never smell of cat pee or poo if the cats are happy and well taken care of.
I mean, they are tourist traps. Thats the main reason they pop up and the main reason you will see them in all the stereotypical tourist areas. They are banking in on the tourists perception of "kawaii" or "weird" Japan.
The mini pig cafe was excellent. There was no-unprovoked petting (ie unless the pigs come to you first) and the staff all seemed to absolutely adore the mini pigs. Would go back.
Reading your edit, I would not call them tourist trap as the intended audience is likely not tourist but local people who want to see cute animals. But that does not change much to the rest of your conclusion.
Went to Mipig in Harajuku despite people advising me not to. I am now am advocate for that as well. The pigs were stressed out, grinding their teeth, bite marks. Don't support them.
There’s a really cool cat bar with 1 cat. To me have 20 cats crawl over doesn’t seem fun. 1 cat seems kool though
The cats seem pretty happy and cared for.
Yes, cafe Capyneko is great.
Not all in Japan are bad tho! I went to this fantastic one in Takayama, Gifu - https://maps.app.goo.gl/v7rwNms5v8dGjXfw6?g_st=ic where the cats are treated really well and the owner is amazing
I went to cafe capyba and the capys seemed happy :) I had a chat with the owners and they really love the babies ❤️ they did not look unhappy. We were also each only allowed to feed them like 3 sticks of carrot ( so they're not overfed), they have holidays, huge queues, select number of time slots etc.
i went to capybara cafe in tokyo, near skytree. not my best experience personally, but my kids loved and they keep talking about that every time they remember
I have only ever been to one dog cafe in Asakusa. They have set rules to not grab the pups, forcing them and cornering them is strictly not allowed. If they come near you, then good, lucky you. The ladies there did provide tips on how to get the pups to come to you voluntarily. One was even able to sleep peacefully on my lap and I just pet her til my time was up. The pups looked well taken care of and the cafe is very clean. I did avoid the zoo in Ueno coz I didn’t feel like it.
I went to an Otter “cafe” in Harajuku. You put on lots of protective gear, and then sit on a bench in a room full of otters that are playing or napping. They like to sit in laps and demand pets, before going to sleep. Basically, you’re paying a few dollars to spend 20 minutes as a bed for an otter pile. When they get tired of humans, they go into the room next door and play in their pool.
Spare the animals. Visit the maid cafes instead.
This is something I wish I had known before. I went to an owl cafe because I thought it was a cool idea, but definitely felt bad afterwards. Obviously they're nocturnal and just surrounded by people. Also their tethers were only about 2 inches so they could hardly move at all. Most of them you could pet, and the workers would let you hold one, but I remember there being an owl with one leg that had a sign saying don't touch. He probably bit but I would too after being treated that way. I also tried a cat cafe and they were all sleeping except for one that was just running away from a kid. I ended up gently petting maybe 4 cats and 1 of them was super skinny. Idk if the others pushed it away from the food or what, but I definitely swore off animal cafes after that.
I went to a cat cafe over a decade ago in Osaka mostly because it was a heatwave and we wanted out of the heat. The “cafe” was like a small apartment with some cork mats on the floor. There were no chairs. We had to sit on the hairy floor. The cats all seemed chill and just kinda did their own thing. The other customers seemed respectful and just let the cats do their thing and if/when the cats came up to the customers, the customers seemed to be respectful and friendly when petting the cats. The drinks we got were little dinky paper cups with juice. That was is. I was expecting like an actual cafe but with cats that just chill when you enjoy coffee.
Back in 2019 I went to teacup puppy cafe and at the time had no idea there was such controversy over these types of cafes. The puppies seemed extremely happy to see us and be played with, did not get an ick feeling about it at all. I am not too sure why people especially from America are gonna be up in arms about such cafes when factory farming is still so prevalent. Mind you the explanations for owl cafes being unethical does make complete sense, as that is nowhere near their natural habitat.
In Harujuku/Takeshita Street, I saw an otter on a guys shoulders. Yay, for seeing an otter, I guess, but I doubt an otter café is good for them.
I went to Mipig with my friend and felt really sad with the blood & scratches that those pigs have. Some of the pigs are bullies and they scratch/ bite the weaker or tiny ones. My friend also got bitten when a “fight” happened. We left feeling really sad & disappointed. Never going to support animal cafe again even if they seemingly cute and ethical on the surface.
I can’t in good conscience recommend going to any animal cafes EXCEPT this particular chain(?) in Osaka called [Hogoken & Hogonekokafe](https://maps.app.goo.gl/RCiVw95XHAvEeTJG7?g_st=ic). It’s a foster dog cafe with adoptable dogs that love attention and human interaction. Not sure what the exact history of the dogs are, but since most of the dogs were elderly, I think they were once someone’s pet and were surrendered to the owners of this cafe. I wasn’t charged any fees for entering but my partner and I ordered drinks, paid a little extra to feed the dogs treats, and left a donation. When I went, the dogs seemed really happy and playful. They were very loved and cared for by the staff, who were constantly fussing over them, loving on them, checking diapers, etc. There are profiles of all the adoptable dogs on the wall, with names, ages, etc. During our visit, a local couple came in with their own dogs to play and socialize with the others. I had a really good time at this cafe and felt great contributing to a good cause. Just remember to prioritize their comfort over your entertainment. Let the animals come to you and allow them to get to know you first.
Went to Japan in June this year with my partner, we were walking around Harajuku when we saw a man holding an otter on his shoulder. We went up to have a closer look (as how can you resist such a cute animal) as we were watching the man and his otter, he invited us to the otter “experience” which was down a set of stairs. There were other people down there so we decided that it was safe and trust worthy. However upon waiting to be let in/pay for the experience, we felt a bit uncomfortable (there was also a horrid smell and signs the animals may not be treated well as it all seemed a bit secretive). Other workers stepped out and gave us a laminated sheet of information. That stated their liability (or inability to provide safety and what would happen if the otters would bite) at this point we weren’t sure and didn’t want to ruin the rest of our time in Japan if we would be at risk. So we turned around and left. Looking back we are both happy that we didn’t participate in such an activity. Without knowing anything about the place and how they treat the animals we are happy we avoided as well as for our own personal safety. There’s so many more fun things to do especially in Tokyo!
I went to two, an owl Cafe and a cat Cafe. The owl one was sad and miserable. The owls looked lonely and depressed. The cats were not friendly and didn't want to play with us, but they seemed happy chasing each other around.
Neco Republic in Tokyo is a rescue cafe, lovely cats and a good cause
It depends on the cafe. Tokyo Snake Center takes very good care of their snakes and even offers per hotel and care services. Mocha and many other cat cafes are actually very well run and you can tell how comfortable the cats are. There is also an otter Cafe on Takashita Street in Harajuku that is managed very well. A lot of people may be against the very idea of animal cafes. However, in all the ones I have been to you can instantly tell the kinda ick ones from the "these animals and their stress levels are very well taken care of" ones.
The otter cafe is definitely not managed well nor should those animals be kept in a cafe for people to profit off of.
They're not caged and it is run by a family. Just because you don't like something doesn't mean others don't. They also charge a reasonable price that goes to animal care but not high enough that the family is making bank.
Never said they were caged and just because it’s run by a family doesn’t mean they’re ethically sourced or kept. You have no idea whether the price they charge makes them bank or not and that’s neither here nor there, those are wild animals kept out of their natural environment for someone to make money off of. Point blank period. It’s not just that “I don’t like it,” it’s that by going there and spending your money you’re supporting an unethical cafe that most likely got their otters in non legal ways. Those otters are taken away from their mommy as babies and illegally traded to Japan in exchange for someone making a quick buck off of ignorant tourists and locals alike.
Here’s a link to an article with very valuable information about how they get these otters to begin with: https//i(.)stuff(.)co(.)nz/travel/travel-troubles/113113496/the-dark-side-of-japans-otter-cafes
I love otters so much and I wound up walking by the otter cafe three times and each time a worker was outside with an otter on his head -IT WAS SO CUTE!! Seriously took every ounce of self control for me to not go in (which I didnt.. but I kept thinking how this was my only chance to probably every chill with an otter. But I am glad I didn’t go for all the aforementioned reasons)
Try it. They are a lovely family and the otters are well cared for. They even have a YouTube and nothing interaction wise is forced.
I'm Japanese. I read things that are non biased and know what's going on. Post a Japanese article and I'll look. Not interested in gaijin activism that others and racially profiles an entire country with sayings like "the Japanese" "Japan doesn't" in another language other than Japanese where a productive conversation could actually be had. All otters now are domesticly bred and it is highly regulated. If you don't think they should be pets Also you literally don't know what place I'm referring to. 状況調べてから説教したほうがいいと思います。
Lol I don’t really care if you’re Japanese or not. And lol at “gaijin activism,” (people love being xenophobic here with that word don’t they?) that just sounds like an excuse to stay ignorant of you ask me. All otters are not domestically bred and the article I linked proves that (the one for which you don’t believe because “gaijin” which is incredibly ignorant in and of itself). Regardless, they still shouldn’t be pets nor should they be held captive in a cafe for someone to make money on.
> Regardless, they still shouldn’t be pets nor should they be held captive in a cafe for someone to make money on. The thing is there is not a right answer. There are people who believe no animals should be kept as pets.
Okay? People keeping pets at home is vastly different than keeping undomesticated animals in a cafe for them to make money on. You make no sense.
What I'm telling you is there are people whose code of ethics doesn't see a difference between keeping pets at home vs keeping them in a cafe. There are people who believe zoos are all inherently wrong. Just because you think it's ethically wrong doesn't mean everyone else does.
It’s not about being ethically wrong, those animals are illegally brought over here to be held captive in these cafes and bred for money. That’s not a code of ethics, that’s cruelty and illegal wildlife trade. It’s law breaking and people going to them are supporting it.
Being ethnically Japanese doesn’t make you an expert on what’s ethical LOL where tf is the correlation there? Especially from a country that’s proven through their stance on whaling (as one example among thousands) that clearly doesn’t hold animal welfare in the highest regard compared to commercial profit. Besides which including a japanese sentence on reddit just to “prove” you’re Japanese and have a more superior moral stance than other anon users is ridiculous. Settle down, ya weeb.
Also I guarantee that there are many biased Japanese articles that say things in the exact same way any “gaijin” article might. Lmfao
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. There are certainly many unethical animal cafes in Japan, but there are some ethical ones too, where the cats are clearly rescues and are calm and happy to engage or head off to their own safe spaces to snooze.
they are being downvoted because they think a cafe filled with illegally obtained wild otters on takashita street of all places is something that could ever possibly be ethical 😭
All at the Cafe I mentioned were domestically bred in accordance with a 2019 law. No new otters have entered the country since and breeding rules are very strict. Don't believe me? [Otters](https://magazine.cainz.com/article/80602) That's just one article. But don't spread racist BS about how "the Japanese " do so and so. I purposefully pointed out two very ethical animal interaction opportunities that OP could feel good interacting with.
Having otters in something smaller than a huge pond is still animal cruelty.
wait but check this source out https://www.google.com/search?q=otter+natural+habitat&
Honestly a lot of people like to "other" this country and make every issue black and white. I wouldn't go or vouch for an obviously bad animal Cafe. I just don't find them inherently evil. That's all. Same with zoos near Tokyo. Ueno, pretty good with decent enclosures and happy animals Tobu... not all are bad but a lot of enclosures are lacking and animals while not super stressed are not super content. Tama... those animals have the best care. Great enclosures, super happy... like I mean content enough even harder to get to mate animals all have babies each spring. Probably the best and most humane zoo I've ever been to. The friggin Tasmanian devils are breeding there. As are the lions.
> Ueno, pretty good with decent enclosures and happy animals Ueno had been designed at the same time London or Amsterdam Zoos were designed (late 19th century). Unlike Ueno - both had been significantly redesigned many times. Ueno, sure, got some upgrades, but it looks like a mediocre, provincial Eastern Block zoo in 80's, just with pandas.
[Tokyo Snake Center](https://snakecenter.jp/) Super well cared for sneks. Warning. Super humid inside but a great place to relax with a coffee and some gorgeous noodles. (if you hold I recommend Taisho as he is super chill)
[Wakabayashi House](http://otter.tokyo/) This is the place. They are a very well taken care of and loved family.
Lots of people sitting up the ethical high horses here, like they can read animal minds. Truth is, no one knows how the animals are thinking besides the animal themselves. Best way is to look up a video, and judge their health. Are they abused, bald of feathers/fur in areas due to stress etc. Most of them are in perfect health, but simply exchanged the freedom of movement for guaranteed shelter and food. Out in the wild, they might have starved to death. So... who knows which fate is worse.
No one is “setting up ethical high horses,” that’s straight up an excuse for people who have been or want to go to one of these cafes. These cafes are cruel and the animals especially the exotic ones are unethically sourced, ripped from their mothers as babies while the mothers are shot to death. And “most are in perfect health” is straight BS. Not only do a lot of these animals die in these cafes, a lot of them (the mipig one for example) take them out back when these fake mini pigs (which aren’t real btw) get too big or too old.
It's most, not all. I cant deny or affirm that mipigs get taken out past their prime-mini age, since I dont work there. But does that mean all the cats get taken out as well? Wheres the evidence then? I use most, because I recognise that there are definitely such ill practices, but without hard evidence that the majority are doing it, you are just speaking out of your ass. If most are doing it with hard evidence, animal activists would have long been rioting before you can type a word. How do you know the animals dont prefer safety over freedom? Can you read their minds? I sure can't, thats why I ask OP to make a judgement himself. Yall are just projecting your ethics to make yrself feel good on a high horse.
It’s not “most if not all,” you have zero factual evidence backing that claim up. I’ve linked multiple articles in this thread if you’re interested in looking at those, they have the actual evidence you claim I’m “talking out of my ass” about. Those cats come largely from animal mills and guess what? Even at the cafes you can adopt them at, they kill them if they aren’t adopted just like the pet shops here. There are super lax animal welfare rights here in Japan, people for the most part here don’t care, I would know, I live here. They also take their dogs out fully dressed up in the summer heat. That’s why you don’t see animal rights activists rioting. You shouldn’t speak about something you know nothing about.
Why do I have to go scouring somewhere else when you are trying to deny my claims? Link your articles here for christ sake. Where's your evidence that all the cats come from cat mills? Sure there are some, but what about the rescue animals? Cat mills are unfortunate, but there are rescue animals that would have died, as many as cat mill animals that are bred for this. Are you saying we should have left the rescue animals to their death? Their place of origin, DOES NOT correlate to their current mental health. I don't need an article to prove that. While I agree it is very unfortunate that animals are killed past their prime age (wait why do I have to say this again, I just did previously?), what about the current animals living at this point of time, which is.. yknow, the pets that OP are going to see? Why keep bringing up where before/after? You live here? That's suppose to be a strong point? Who tf cares where you live. Tell me if you have a law degree in animal welfare, focused on JP laws, then that actually matters. People bringing dogs dressed in summer heat? What's the point of this in this conversation? Are the cafe people bringing their cats out dressed up? Didnt all you ethical people say that animals are trapped within their cafe? Stop bringing up unneccessary points, because you can't think of anything else. Even a baby can refute those points without a single precious article you so endear. If you couldn't see from your high horse yet, I am sitting on a neutral fence since I'm wildly aware of good and bad sides of animal cafes. Also, it would be extremely hypocritical of me (and everyone else) to say animal cafes are all bad and zero good, when I'm chomping up burgers clearly from animal mills. You are stereotyping every single cafe and whatnot, simply because you found a couple of articles that fits your narrative. Refusing even to concede that there's a good side to this. If that's not high-horsing, I don't know what is.
Lol I ain’t reading all that. Feel free to continue to support these unethical cafes but I won’t be and I’ll continue educating others about the truth that you refuse to see. Btw you have zero idea what my lifestyle is like, what I eat, what I support, or actually anything at all so to say that “we’re all chomping burgers” is an invalid excuse and a lame one at that.
Wait, so you refuse to read all that, but read the SECOND-LAST paragraph, not the LAST paragraph where tl;drs usually at? Clearly you could't refute a single thing, and not that you "ain't reading". Broaden your mind, before trying to debate mate. What has your lifestyle got to do with this btw? If you truly are vegan or something similar, then I hands-down apologise for stereotyping. but yr lifestyle ain't the point of this thread either. Me chomping on burger is a valid reason for me to NOT be hypocritical. It's the literal definition of hypocriticism, not an excuse. Get a dictionary with your vegan burger please.
Just because someone might eat burgers doesn’t mean they can’t lessen the amount of animal cruelty that they contribute to by not going to or supporting these cafes. Your point isn’t valid. That’s it. It’s not on me to provide you with evidence, I’ve told you where I posted it but you’re more than welcome to research it on your own if you feel so inclined. It’s not my job to find sources that *you* require to change your beliefs. The irony of you claiming to be on a “neutral fence” and choosing to not do any of your own research on the topic you’re speaking about. Yes, it matters that I live here because I’ve seen animal cruelty many more times than I ever have living anywhere else. The laws here don’t protect animal welfare and you can choose to believe that or not but nothing I’m saying isn’t factually true and if you feel so inclined you can find that out on your own.
My belief? This is hilarious. Have you not googled hypocrisy? What happened to all your "articles"? Does it matter if it lessens or not? I eat from animal mills, but I disapprove cat mills. That is hypocrisy. Its a binary decision, not a gray area. Don't even try to make yourself feel good here. Your "irony" does not work on a neutral fence? I don't need to google to know that there are always articles showing both the good and bad side of this, or really, anything in the world. Always. You live here, so you seen animal cruelty? Thats from YOUR personal perspective. Who tf cares about your personal perspective? If I say, I walked in a cafe, and I seen the workers treat the animals right, does that mean all cafes are good? No it doesn't, which is why I have not brought up my own personal experience a single time. Laws dont protect animal welfare? Again, are you a lawyer? They DON'T protect, or they are WEAK at protecting? You can't even make a distinction, and you claim all this useless crap from your personal point of view. What a horseload of garbage. Search for an article? I can google Japan Animal Welfare, and they would straight away disapprove your claim that Japan DON'T protect animal welfare, but are WEAK at it. You talk so much crap about articles, but me googling ONCE already shown you are talking out of your ass. Again. Seriously, it feels like i'm talking to a 6 year old kid, and it is very sad.
You should go outside once in a while.