For long my passion has been birds, and not just any birds, but owls in specific. What a wonderful chance I had to visit an Owl cafe in Akihabra today, and see different type of owls around the room which I could approach and pet, hold in my hand and admire their majestic beauty.
It's weird really, I have been a big fan of owls, yet I have never made it my plan to go see them, nor have I bought a book to study on them that much, and same can be said about my art. I love to draw Manga, but I have never read a single Manga in my life, weird, right? Well, today I fixed those two mistakes and not only did I paid a price of 15€ to go see bunch of owls, but I also bought sh*t load of Manga with over 100€. I am going to be here for another month, so not only are they gonna be a great entertainment and source of study material for art, but they also help me with my Japanese study tremendosly. I love translating Japanese Manga, it's like trying to break a complex code, and the reward is advancing in the story and learning new words and sentences.
Back to owls though! There were around 6 different owls to be seen there, and only few could be hold on arm, but all of them could be pet gently. I loved how their feathers were so smooth and beautiful, something that you can only appreciate by watching them in person. I could see each minor detail they held within their beautiful biological stracture. Through close observation I could see their shape better and thus I gained the vital knowledge of how to draw birds better.
This little guy was my absolute favorite. You can not see it in the picture, but its feathers formed a weird shape in the front that mimiced the shape of a tree texture. If this owl would stand on a branch of a brown tree, it would be in camouflage, hidden from plain sight.
Only when I can see these kind of things in person I can truly appreciate their beauty. I can always watch pictures like these from internet, but I miss details like the tree texture which made this specific owl very unique and beautiful. Thanks to seeing this detail, my mind is full of new ideas when drawing. Seeing the world truly expands the imagination library that we all hold inside. While the price was a bit expensive in my taste to see only couple owls, I do think it was totally worth it in the end, as a one time experience.
You might have already noticed how these owls are all locked up to their place. This may seem very cruel thing to do, for they are caged like in a zoo, but with very limited movement. However, worry not, these owls are very well trained, and they do not try to fly away even when the shackle is removed. They love to be petted by humans, and stay put, like owls do even in nature. Owls are night birds, which means they sleep during day and hunt during night. Each day after the business closes for the night, the owls get to fly free, and they always return to their master when called. So in a way they are not treated badly, nor do they suffer by staying put many long hours.
The customers can feed the owls, hold them in their hand, and pet them as much as they like. This only adds up to the experience which other Owl cafes in Japan don't let you do or they give you limited time like 15 minutes max - said the staff when I asked him about this business model in Japan.
This big guy who was the largest owl in the room, was very feisty one. When it was approached, it glared at the person approaching it, and gave a bit evil look, like it was going to bite. This owl was one of the only birds that was not allowed to be hold in arm, I wonder why... But when petted, it became calm and gentle, and it literally made a smile, like you see in the picture. It was the only owl who could make such a human-like smile and allow us to see how much it enjoyed the human contact.
This guy didn't want to sit on the glove, but instead it stood right on my flesh with its sharp claws. Not only that, but it also began to bite my skin with its sharp beak. Did it hurt? A little, but nothing worth shouting for. I actually found it to be pretty cute.
Owl cafes would pretty much be my kind of place to grab a coffee and just sketch out some birds for hours, since you can stay there as long as you like. I don't think the price is worth a second visit though, but this experience was totally worth the entrance fee.