I have fed quite a lot of animals throughout my various Japan trips but I never really had such close interactions with hedgehogs before. I am so happy to strike this off my list! Located at a secluded corner of the street, Harry Hedgehog Cafe is a 2-storey shophouse that is popular among many as proven by their snaking long queue. Everyone is waiting to touch those adorable little hedgehogs!
While I initially expected a real cafe with proper food and drinks, I was a little disappointed to know that the cafe is merely a cosy corner for humans to interact with the animals, with drinks served from the vending machine.
Admission fee: 2800yen/ 1 hour
We also opted for feeding and I totally wasn’t expecting this, but we were given mealworms!!! Typing this word out already makes me irk a little. But when the staff passed me the bowl, I swear I almost dropped the whole thing on the floor. Yes I have a crazy fear over all kinds of insects, and because we paid extra to experience the feeding session. I braced myself to pick up the worms with the tweezer (while trying hard not to drop it on myself).
There were gloves if you feel uncomfortable to touch the hedgehogs directly (they can be quite a pain sometimes) especially if they are resisting your touch. Even with the gloves, they can bite really hard. My brother used his bare hands and got himself some wounds too. Nothing too serious though.
If the hedgehog likes you and finds comfort, they will usually fall asleep in your hands. It was quite a warm feeling to watch them snuggle to sleep. There was one hedgehog that refuses to get close to my brother or I though. We tried to tame it but I gave up eventually as I didn’t want to give it too much stress.
WHY YOU SO CUTE!
There was also a Fennec fox which looks so adorable. We didn’t really get to interact with it though.
Overall it was a decent experience with the hedgehogs, but I would prefer if the cafe was a little more spacious where I get to enjoy a cup of coffee and piece of cake while interacting with the animals – similar to most dog/cat cafes. There wasn’t even a proper table for me to put my cup. The admission fee is quite high too. I think it’s worth a try if you really like small animals, but one try is enough for me.
