I visited four animal attractions in Japan. I loved some, but would skip one next time.

I’ve been hooked on animal attractions ever since I visited an ethical elephant rescue in the jungle of Northern Thailand. I’m not into traditional zoos where all the animals are caged and depressed. Instead, I look for more authentic or immersive animal experiences when I travel. 

I knew that I would find my fill of unique animal attractions in Japan. 

Visitors walking the streets of Tokyo are drawn in by hedgehog and owl cafes, urged to come in and spend one-on-one time with the creatures. Not to mention, some of Japan’s most famous attractions involve animals, like Nara Deer Park. 

There were four animal attractions I couldn’t turn down during my time in Japan. Some of them were memorable for all the right reasons, but one of them I’d skip if I had a do-over. Here are my honest thoughts. 

Wakabayashi Otter Cafe in Tokyo

I was strolling around the Harajuku neighborhood in Tokyo when I spotted something I never expected — a lady with a real, live otter draped around her shoulders. I’m rarely left in awe, but I legitimately stopped and stared. 

I’d never seen an otter in the flesh, much less on a woman’s shoulder in the street. The moment she saw my gaze hooked on her little friend, she ushered me closer and invited me inside WAKABAYASHI カワウソ to hang out with the otters. I was sold. 

I put all my belongings and jewelry in a locker (apparently otters like to eat things like that). Then, I got dressed in a water repellent jacket and skirt to cover my street clothes. I paid for the 20-minute package and was happily led in. 

The little room was crawling with the most adorable, friendly otters. It turns out that otters are sort of like long, wiggly, and extremely soft puppies. They wanted to play, eat treats, do tricks, and most precious of all, fall asleep right on everyone’s lap.

Verdict: Overall Recommend ✅

I had a blast with the otters in Tokyo and was pleasantly surprised by how personable they were. I was a little bummed by how tiny the room was, but the otters seemed happy and well taken care of. 

Friendly Deer in Nara Park

Nara is a city about an hour outside of Kyoto on Japan’s public transportation. Nara brings in millions of visitors for its premiere attraction — deer. Yes, that’s correct, this place is famous for its 1,4000 friendly deer living in Nara Park [Source]. 

As someone who grew up in New York State, my main experience with deer was trying not to hit them with my car when they darted into the road, wide-eyed. The deer in Nara are nothing like deer in New York; they love humans. 

The deers here roam free and are totally accustomed to human presence. There are vendors selling crackers and the deer will bow as a trick to receive the snacks. It is beyond the realm of cute. The bow alone made the trip into Nara worth it. 

It can be a tad overwhelming to be approached by seven deers at once all aggressively bowing to you for food, but overall, they were very friendly.

Verdict: Highly Recommend ✅

In my opinion, Nara is a must-visit in Japan. The park itself is expansive and it was such a unique experience to cross paths with so many friendly deer. Especially since every other deer I’ve seen before Nara has looked at me with terrified eyes. 

Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama

I’ve been obsessed with seeing monkeys in the wild ever since visiting Southeast Asia for the first time in 2018. Don’t get me wrong, they’re a little scary and there are some key precautions to take around primates. However, I still love seeing an animal like that existing in real life. 

As you can imagine, I was over the moon when I learned about a Monkey Park located at the top of a mountain in the Japanese town of Arashiyama. After a brief walk up to the peak, I saw families of babies and fully-grown monkeys calmly going about their day. 

Visitors are welcome to just sit outside, watch the monkeys wander around, and take in the clear views of the city. You can also buy apple pieces or peanuts from a little building and hand-feed the monkeys through the safety of the windows. 

You haven’t lived until you’ve seen the tiny opposable thumbs of a young monkey reaching to grab a peanut out of your grasp. 

Verdict: Highly Recommend ✅

I had a smile glued to my face the entire time I was visiting Arashiyama Monkey Park. I kept returning to buy more snacks for the monkeys because I couldn’t get over how cute it was to feed them. Plus, Arashiyama Monkey Park is a great spot for animal photographers. 

mipig Micro Pig Cafe in Osaka, Japan

When I learned about all the potential animal cafes I could visit in Japan, I was the most enticed by the micro pig cafe. I’ve seen pigs before, yet the idea of playing with piglets and having the ability to order a latte at the same establishment was intriguing to me. 

However, looking back, there were definitely a few things I didn’t think about before deciding to visit the mipig cafe in Osaka. 

First of all, it smelled like a farm, which isn’t the most appetizing aroma for a cafe. I didn’t order any drinks during my time there because I couldn’t get over the stench. There were around twenty tiny pigs and three huge mama pigs meandering around the space, though, so a smell is to be expected. 

The second thing I didn’t expect was how intense it can be to get covered by baby pigs that want to take a nap on you. 

Even little pigs aren’t as light as you would think. And they like to chew on things. Not to mention, they’re super hostile with each other and will fight over a spot on you. 

Verdict: Skip it 🚫

I found myself checking my phone for how long I was going to be stuck inside the pig cafe and I only bought a 20-minute time slot. While one or two pigs are cute, ten of them were a bit much for me. 

If you really want to visit a pig cafe in Japan, I’d recommend booking one of the private stalls instead of sitting in the main room. That way you get to play with just a couple of pigs at a time without all of them tackling you at once. 

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Overall, Japan is one of the best places to interact with different kinds of animals in a unique setting. Whether you want to watch monkeys swing between the trees or sit in a cafe surrounded by otters, it’s possible somewhere in the country. 

Some of Japan’s animal activities exceeded my expectations, while others weren’t as fun as I pictured in my mind originally. Regardless, all of them were an adventure in one way or another and I’d suggest partaking in at least one animal experience when you visit Japan. 

One of my favorite things about Japan is that they make it so easy for visitors to have fun in the country without the normal stress of traveling. To learn how, check out these travel hacks for Japan that made my trip 10x easier.