Being an animal freak in Tokyo is pretty easy.  Want to hang out with 30 cats?  No problem.  Watch some penguins as you sip a cocktail?  Done.  Test your nerve holding various reptiles?  Go for it.  In the busy hustle and bustle of Tokyo, many animal lovers either don’t have the space or the time for their own pets, so they turn to one of the many animal cafes dotted across the city.
I, admittedly, am one of those animal freaks, so when I heard of a new animal cafe that had opened up near my house I had to immediately go.  The residents of this cafe – hedgehogs.

Welcome to Harry Cafe, in the Roppongi neighborhood of Tokyo.  Harry is a play on the Japanese word for hedgehog – harinezumi.

Make sure you go to their website to book ahead of time to avoid the long queues that are forming thanks to their recent press coverage.  They have their fees listed on the site.  It cost me ¥2,700 for 1 hour and one bowl of worms to feed them.

Harry Cafe has a ton of hedgehogs scattered throughout the small room in glass tanks.  When you arrive, you’ll be given a release form and rules to follow.  After you sanitize your hands, you can choose a hedgehog and they will give it to you in a paper-lined box.

There are many different types and colors of hedgehogs to pick from.  Some like being held, others don’t and are bite-y.  The staff will let you know which ones are friendly.

 

The cafe also has hedgehogs for sale along with all the supplies you’d need to keep one for yourself.

 

If you’re in the mood for some spiky cuddles, Harry Cafe is definitely the place to go.