Have you ever been to a pet cafe? Let me show you one of the coolest places I have ever been!
This cafe is called Harajuku Zoo Land and is located at 3 Chome-21-22 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan only a short walk from Harajuku Train Station.
There are a whole range of cute and cuddly animals here including a CAPYBARA!!! Basically a giant hamster and he just wanted all the cuddles. I have actually never seen one in real life so to be able to not only see one up close but to also be able to cuddle it was an unreal experience.
The animals are in seperate areas in the cafe and are all treated like actual royalty. The Capybara even has his own bath!
Reservations can be made online or you can walk in. We went on a quiet day and just stumbled across this place while walking around Harajuku. I think it can get quite busy but we were quite lucky to be the only people in the cafe at this time. Be mindful you may need to line up as not many people can be in the cafe at one time. It costs 3080 yen to enter the cafe and spend 30 minutes getting up close with these cute baby angels.
Another star attraction is the Fennec Fox who made the cutest noises and was just overall so adorable.
Speaking of cute noises.. have you ever heard a meerkat chitter? They sound like mini hyenas giggling and I am absolutely obsessed!
The ferrets really stole the show by doing absolutely nothing at all and we loved every second of it.
Played with a hamster who reminded me so much of my baby hamster in London I wanted to cry. I think about Max all the time. I wonder how she is doing..
Insanely rude we don't have hamsters in Australia. Look at this little baby..
After spending our morning fulfilling life long goals of cuddling capybaras and meekats we then proceeded to spend the rest of the day vintage shopping around Harajuku. See previous blog post for my top Vintage Store Recommendations in Harajuku.
That night we went out in Shinjuku to go to the very infamous Robot Restaurant. Tokyo is just incredible at night. The lights and colour everywhere are so unique I could explore these streets all night. There is always something bright and colourful to look at.
Before the show we popped into a cute underground Izakaya for some pre-drinks.
Bread or cake? You decide.
We got into the Robot Restaurant for a few more pre-drinks. They are a bit more pricey here but the ticket we pre-purchased included a drink. How incredible is the decor in this place?!
I am glad we didn't purchase the dinner and show. The dinner was a bento box that genuinely did not look at all appealing especially for what it cost. I was however very happy with my Light up Lightbulb cocktail. The lightbulb is most definitely sitting in my house now. Did it come all the way through Japan with me in my suitcase? You better believe it!
Unfortunately we were made to give back the fun light up sticks which on reflection I really wouldn't have had any use for but I am such a sucker for travel souvenirs. This show is such a quintessential Japanese experience. The dancing and acting and overall performance was so much fun and the costumes were out of this world epic. We enjoyed every second.
We visited prior to the Pandemic and from my understanding they have sadly stopped these shows temporarily but from the website it does seem like they are looking to make a return in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled and don't take it off your Tokyo Bucket List just yet.
After the show we walked back to the hotel from Shinjuku. This area in Tokyo was a bit skeevy. One minute you are in front of Robot Restaurant the next you are walking through streets filled with these kind of places.. Each to their own but this not my favourite area to walk through at night.
Some back alley markets on the way home that were serving all kinds of seafood and other snacks all the way into the night.
Pachinko is a huge attraction in Japan. In Aussie terms it is basically their pokies but instead of cash they use metal balls. It is extremely loud and completely overwhelming when you walk in. We went in a few times but I was still scarred from my last trip when my friend knocked over multiple trays and the balls went EVERYWHERE. The attendants come and collect them with magnetic brooms but I can assure you the man who's balls she kicked over was not impressed.
Unagi Restaurant, I regret not going to one on my visits to Japan. It is one of my favourite dishes ever!
This was my absolute favourite! This adorable lady was selling a whole array of meat skewers from the back of her van and would cook them on the spot for you. I tried all of the skewers a few times. The van was parked right outside the hotel we were staying in.
If I could list all the meat here I would but its honestly a mix of everything from everything. Including some things that made me a bit uncomfortable including whale. We avoided that one. But I geneuinely think by the time we left the accommodation I had tried almost every type of skewer this lady was serving.
This looks like Quail eggs, Chicken hearts, Octopus, Prawn and Squid.
Proper obsessed. I would get these almost every night after we got back from dinner.
Visiting the local 7/11 was also a requirement every single night. To be fair 7/11's were the place I went the most in Japan, at least twice a day without fail. I lived for the Onigiri (sushi in triangles), it makes me so sad that it isn't common in Australia. Sushi is but not Onigiri and especially not good quality at the 7/11's. Japan 7/11's just hit different, if you know you know. If you don't, this should be number 1 on your Japan food bucket lists.
I went back. Controversial but I got a mix of sweet and savoury skewers including the sweet rice balls and they were gone so quickly.
My 7/11 snacks ready for the next day.
Another successful day of walking basically everywhere in Harajuku, Asakusa and Shinjuki. Stay tuned for more Japan Adventures. Find my previous travels on my website and if you have any specific questions about anywhere I have been, please don't hesitate to contact me on Instragram, Tiktok or Youtube.
erica
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