Tamaki Hosokawa

SAPPORO: Owls and other exotic animals are being used in Sapporo City to greet people and try to relieve the stress of their daily lives impacted by COVID-19.

Tropical Gem in the heart of Sapporo on the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido not only has owls, but also various exotic birds such as parrots as well as reptiles. Shop manager Masafumi Kobayashi told Arab News Japan, “I want to provide a healing experience and also want people to learn more about owls.” According to Kobayashi, the pandemic has slowed down his business. “We used to have 20 to 30 people coming in every day, but now people come in more sporadically.” 

The shop currently has three owls and a number of exotic birds and reptiles, including parrots, parakeets, pythons, a sea turtle and alligators. The owls and reptiles are bred in various parts ofthe world and imported from places such as South America, Germany and Canada. They are all available for sale and the prices range from 5,000 Japanese yen ($50) for a frog to about 6,800,000 yen (approximately $68,000) for an olive green parrot that can live up to 80 years.

Shop visitors are charged by the hour: 1,500 yen (nearly $15) per hour for an adult, 1,000 yen for middle schoolers (age 12-15) and 500 yen for children under 12. 

Customers can enjoy taking unlimited photos with all the animals and buy necessary goods and feed if they decide to buy one and take them home. 

Owl cafés like Tropical Gem need to have a license from the authorities to deal with exotic animals. Animal rights activists often claim that the animals are treated unfairly. However, each shop has its own policies and the situations differ case by case. 

“For me, it’s all about their (the owls’) eyes,” says Kobayashi, who has two owls at his home. “I think they are very entrancing and captivating. Their eyes are what differentiate them from other popular pets such as cats and dogs. They are easy to care for as well.” 

But bird feed will not suffice for owls. Food preparation requires skill and a little bravery to prepare as the owls only eat raw undrained meat. They also need to be perched on a branch andnot under supervision or confined in a birdcage as it can injuretheir wings. “I have a big yard so I let them fly around with a leash at home,” Kobayashi says.

Those, like Katsue Hosokawa from Tokyo, who think having an owl in the house is too much just go to an owl café and enjoy interacting with the birds: “It is very relaxing to play with them,” she says. “Their energy is very healing for me.”