#1 Owl Nest Café
Japan has to offer multiple animal themed cafes. We chose the Owl Nest Café. They have 8 owls and 4 hedgehogs. You pay 1000 Yen (about $9) for an hour and a drink, if you want to feed them, additional 500 Yen (about $4,50). (Prices may have changed). Each owl has its own profile with information about them like their name, age and whether you can feed or pet them. The owls got treated very well (unlike some other, cheaper owl cafes). The owls have breaks in different rooms and even days off.
#2 Moomin Bakery & Café
Moomin was a huge hit in Japan. Japan even has the first Moomin theme park outside Finland. So it is no wonder, they host two Moomin Cafes. In a circle changing period you get accompanied by different Moomin plush toys, sitting at your table.
Drinks
On weekdays you’ll get a free drink with your food. You can choose between Coffee, black tea, orange juice, grapefruit juice, apple juice and milk. On weekends and national holidays, it costs additional 200 Yen. As desert I had the Moomin Marshmallow Cream Soda for 1000 Yen.
Food
Lunchtime is between 11 a.m. and 4.45 p.m. Included in your meal is an all you can eat bread buffet as well as a soup. The food combos are quite interesting and honestly, I didn’t like it all. I ordered the Moomin plate with rice, beef and demi-glaced sauce with Dutch cocoa, pasta, salad, vegetables and scrambled egg. My husband had the Quiche & Pasta. If you ordered the Quiche, watch out. There are little fish hidden in the pasta.
#3 Robot Restaurant
Located in the red-light district this show used to be a sexual show. After becoming a quite popular tourist attraction, they changed it into a kid-friendly show. Personally, I think the show is overpriced. It’s 8000 Yen per person (around $70) without food or drinks, the show takes 90 minutes including two 15-minute breaks. I heard the food should be worse than plane food.
#4 Maidreaming Maid Café
Japan has more than 200 maid cafes and counting. We encountered the most maid cafes in Akihabara. As you enter, they give you head bands to wear. The entrance fee is 500 Yen (ca. $4,50) and you have to order one thing per person per hour. Besides that, you pay extra for everything. Pictures with the maids aren’t allowed unless you pay for them .
#5 ALCATRAZ E.R. (unfortunately closed 31st May 2018)
Located near the Shibuya Crossing it is fairly easy to get there. We didn’t need a reservation but if you really want to go there, I would recommend one. You’re sitting in prison cells on the floor. The waitress, dressed as a nurse, will bring you your pills (rice crackers).
Drinks
ALCATRAZ E.R. has all kind of unique drinks. Most of them contain alcohol (the legal drinking age in Japan is 20). You can get drinks in a baby bottle, in test tubes, in blood transfusion bags or even in a head. They are really turning your drink into something unique. One drink comes with a filled condom which they cut open and squeeze it into your drink, another one comes with a slap in the face.
Food
Just as unique as the drinks is the food. You can have roast beef vagina shaped, breast shaped rice or a red omelet in shape of a liver or a brain. As dessert they offer red jelly on top of a pad. If you’re not into funny looking food, they also normal looking food. Enjoy!
