Harajuku Kawaii Zoo

Cuddle with many different cute animals, including a capybara and a hedgehog, at the Harajuku Kawaii Zoo

Looking to touch and cuddle cute animals in Harajuku? Look no further, because Harajuku Kawaii Zoo (原宿かわいい動物園) lets you cuddle not just hedgehogs, but also meerkats, ferrets, and more. It’s a small space on the second floor of one of Takeshita Street’s many buildings, but it has a diversity of cute things to see. 

The Animals at Harajuku Kawaii Zoo

Here’s a rundown of all the animals we saw there: 

• Capybara 
• Meerkats 
• Fox
• Monkey
• Hamsters 
• Hedgehog 
• Ferrets 

There aren’t any cats or dogs here, but honestly, I think many of us (from the States at least) see enough of them at home or at friend’s places that it’s more worth it to see these rare ones. That said, if you need to pet a cat or dog, there are those establishments as well, all in the same area! Yay, Harajuku.

Our visit to Harajuku Kawaii Zoo

We were the first ones in on a Saturday morning, and we came in with prepaid tickets. We were offered to buy snacks for the capybara for 550 yen, which we did from the vending machine. 

First, we got to meet some meerkats! They’re very small and active.

And then the hedgehog! You use a glove to hold him, but you can pet him with your bare hands. 

Near the hedgehog was the fox. Very soft and a little shy.

In the back, we found the capybara. He sat in the tub, so he’s pretty wet. We fed him the veggies, so we got him to come up close. Fun little fella. Well, not so little.

There was also a monkey, but I think it was still in training. We got to see it being hyper and doing back flips.

Next, we got a few ferrets to sit with on our laps. They sleep most of the day, so many of them were just peacefully snoozing away. 

Finally, we pet the hamsters and called it a day. 

• 

• 

How much time do you need at Harajuku Kawaii Zoo?

We went as a group of four, but honestly, 30 minutes was plenty to get some good photos and pet all of their cute animals. We weren’t there to sit and relax, but if you want to enjoy the atmosphere for a bit longer, or have kids who do, maybe the hour deal is for you.

Prices & Getting Tickets

You can pay at the store, or even better — try Voyagin or Groupon, since that’s where we found some good deals. 

The price at the door is 1,400 yen per adult, but with our coupon we managed to get it down to 700 yen per adult. That’s like one cheap ramen, not bad. As mentioned previously, you can also get a cup of capybara food for 550yen. This is probably worth it for the full experience, but if feeding a big wet capybara isn’t your thing, we won’t judge. 🙂

You can find the entrance next to the Seven Eleven on Takeshita Street. It’s on the second floor. Have fun!

• 

• 

More Cute & Kawaii

More in Harajuku