Here is a little different post, not food related one, but certainly interesting topic. One place my husband was VERY curious about was one of those animal/pet cafes. There are Cat Cafe and Puppy Cafe elsewhere nowadays outside of Japan, but they still have unique animal/pet cafe only in Japan. One of them is Hedgehog Cafe HARRY in Harajuku. It is located on the fourth floor, and you need to take the tiny little elevator to get there.

Once you get out of the tiny elevator, the actual Hedgehog Cafe HARRY space opens up in front of you. Lots of wood and faux brick walls create a warm, cozy, welcoming atmosphere. At arrival, you are greeted by friendly staffs, and walk you through their prices, rules and regulations, and any questions you might have. The price is based on the time you want to spend there with hedgehogs. They had 30 min, 45 min, and 60 min. There is also an option to add treats for hedgehogs that you can feed to them. The fee is per person, so more people you have with you, the pricier it will become. And it does NOT matter if one of you decides he/she doesn’t want to touch/pet/interact with hedgehogs, so be aware.

We chose 30 min option (1,430 yen/person), with one of us getting the 30 min option with treats (1,650 yen/person). Therefore, our fee was 1,430 + 1,650 = 3,080 yen. They gave us a card with time stamp on it, that we hang from our neck, so that we know what time we need to finish up and leave. We were taken to a seat by the container that had four hedgehogs. Seems that each group gets one container that holds four hedgehogs. We were pretty lucky, since we visited Hedgehog Cafe Harry during a weekday, and off peak, so it was not busy.

Another thing that comes with the fee is one drink per person. They have two vending machines all the way back, and you get to choose whatever you want, but just one drink. The paper cup that it comes with were pretty small, so don’t expect much… You are allowed to bring your own drinks (non-alcoholic drink).

And the hedgehogs, they are SOOOOOOO adorable!!! You are given a pair of thick gloves, in case they get feisty and bite you. We only had that issue with one of the four hedgehogs. One of them just was not in a mood to play, he just wanted to sleep. Hey, I get it, they have to be picked up and played with all day with strangers, they need some rest every once in a while…

But other three were playful and it was so fun holding them and looking at them. This was our first seeing hedgehogs let alone holding them in our hands, so it was super exciting. Who knew Hedgehog Cafe could be so fun? Well, my hubby did, who pushed us to go to Hedgehog Cafe Harry…

The treats for hedgehogs came in a tiny little container, and it looked like dried worms? They seemed to like it a lot, but feeding them was not as exciting as holding them. Also, if other customers fed them right before you came along, they might not be so hungry for them. They do NOT offer food for us humans. But I mean, when you are in front of these adorable hedgehogs, you are not really thinking about eating your food, other than holding them and interacting with them.

Another animal they had at Hedgehog Cafe Harry was Meerkat! Another animal we have never seen in real life! We got to pet this cute little thing a bit too. Those puppy eyes and angel wings on its back was too much…so cute!

If hedgehog is not your thing, you can opt for hamsters instead as well. They had several containers with hamsters in them near the entrance, so you could look at them on your way in/out. They were certainly playful and cute. Maybe if you have little kids, and they are afraid of hedgehogs, you could play with hamsters instead.

They also have ample amounts of gifts and pet-related items. I almost reached for the hedgehog stuffed animals, but I stayed strong… LOL.

This was such a unique experience, and very memorable. Although they only offer one drink out of vending machine, and no food, but it is the experience you are paying for. And since we just left Tokyo Tarako Spaghetti, we were still full anyways. The hedgehogs were adorable, and I thank them for their patience to play with us silly humans. If you are looking for a unique experience, maybe Hedgehog Cafe Harry would be the place to go. Just be mindful of these little hedgehogs, be kind and considerate please.

Hedgehog Cafe HARRY – 1 Chome−13−21, Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan

Hedgehog Cafe HARRY – 東京都渋谷区神宮前　1-13-21 シャンゼール原宿2号館4F