Owl Cafe in Kiba

About a year and a half ago, I was having lunch by the Sumida River when I saw a couple with three owls. I mentioned this to my father, who said, "Oh yeah there's an owl cafe near my office." I finally made the trip there, and it was a hoot.

There were a fair number of tourists wanting to get in.

You can take photographs from the outside, but there are also parakeets and owls inside. 

This one looked like Furby.

The inside birdcages. With all these birds, the food and service were basically an afterthought. 

At one point, this one was on its back at the bottom of the cage, playing with a paper cup.

Two baby owls in a cage, apparently about five months old. The cage was so small, they had to bend over to spread their wings! It seems they fly around at home, though.

Owls are nocturnal, so they basically spent the time nodding off.

Fake owl.

Lots of bird motifs.

Bathroom light.

Anne-Marie Cafe in Nara

Anne-Marie Cafe, across the street and a short walk from Nara Station.

 

Their tea collection in particular is quite good.

The decor is almost overbearingly girly, but the breakfast set is very inexpensive compared to Tokyo and appropriately filling.

Green Tea Paper Napkins

(Mogura Cafe in Takatanobaba.)

This paper napkin contains recycled tea leaves from Itoen's Ooi-ocha, a popular line of bottled green tea. It is yet another development in the tea company's quest to effectively re-use its tea leaves. The napkins, which began to be sold commercially only last month, join the likes of ballpoint pens, cardboard boxes, tatami mats that the company has already produced -- all containing recyled tea leaves.

According to the company, by using tea leaves, they are able to cut down on paper material. And since the leaves are used wet, drying the leaves after their use is no longer necessary. Tea leaves are also reputed for their sterility, and their ability to absorb smells. 1,000 of these paper napkins contain roughly the amount of tea leaves used to produce 36 500ml bottles of tea.

And here I thought this was just a publicity stunt.

茶々工房

(Chacha Koubou in Takatanobaba.)

Chacha Koubou in Takatanobaba, where 450 yen buys you organic green tea, a cube of yōkan, and a pot of hot water that allows umpteen refills of tea. If I had only a rudimentary knowledge of Japan, I would assume that all Japanese cafes serve tea like this. But in reality, cafes that specialize in Japanese tea are not so easy to find; you have to be willing to seek them out.

Cakes are a Female Domain

(Cafe Comme Ca in Funabashi Lalaport.)

Ladies delight in their pretty cakes as they have tea, and somewhere in the world, someone's hypothetical stereotype of Japanese women and their obsession with sweets is confirmed.