Best Snake Cafe in Tokyo
The Tokyo Snake Center is the latest animal cafe in Harajuku with a wide range of incredible snakes which you can hold and play with while enjoying a warm cup of coffee.
- What: Tokyo Snake Center
- Why: Creepy & unique experience in Japan
- Where: 6-Chome-5-6 サンポウ綜合ビル 8F, Harajuku, Tokyo [Map]
- Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm (closed Tuesdays)
- Price: ¥2,540 Yen ($23 USD) per person
- Tickets: Buy tickets now, it includes 1 drink, photo with snake & petting
- Tip #1: Make sure to use the towel, some snakes may poo.
- Tip #2: Wash your hands thoroughly after to prevent salmonella.
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Housed on the eighth floor of a Harajuku multi-use building is Tokyo's latest addition to the already long list of animal cafés. The Snake Center is home to a slithering collection of serpents, all very well trained and non-poisonous. Reserve your seat for the Tokyo Snake Center online on Voyagin which includes one drink and the right to pick out a snake of your choice to hang out with, and spend a few hours nibbling on cake and sipping coffee while your reptilian friend observes you from the safety of its transparent box.
The tanks that the snakes are kept in have the snake's name, sex and species indicated on the label. If you found a snake you really connected with, don't forget its name when you go home. By the way, the serpentile staff at this cafe are known as snake attendants.
When you pay the entrance fee, you get a drink with plenty of options to select from. Other than drinks, the cafe also has a lovely food menu with various sweets and appetizers. The menu is written in both Japanese and English, and, while not perfect, the staff can speak some English, so non-Japanese speakers can relax and have friendly conversations with them.
As the snakes don't have any hair, don't smell and their cages can't be opened, it's safe to bring the snakes right to your table and enjoy the cafe's menu items alongside your new friend.
With the exception of the snakes that were already at other customers' tables, there were 22 varieties of snakes and 63 snakes in total at the cafe today. The staff oversee all the care, shedding and feeding of the snakes and make sure that they are rotated through equally, so that no matter when you visit you can meet a snake attendant that is feeling at its best.
All the snake attendants at the Tokyo Snake Center are quite docile and gentle, so even people who are a little afraid of snakes might find that their impression of them changes. If you'd like to learn more about snakes and see them up close for yourself, then please head to the Tokyo Snake Center in Harajuku.