I went to a Capybara Cafe in Tokyo! Full Review of Cafe Capyba

1 About Cafe Capyba

I couldn’t find too much info on the cafe itself but it’s a fairly new one that has popped up in the past couple of years. The Capyba Cafe has two capybaras named Kohaku and Pisuke. They are gentle creatures that chill on the sofas while you pet them. They don’t get mad or move around too quickly but when you have their favourite snack they come over to have a munch.

The cafe is really clean and does not have any type of animal smell which pleasantly surprised me. I always thought that animal cafes have certain smells of the animals themselves or their food.

There’s an upstairs waiting area and a downstairs petting area. The cafe itself is not very big but they don’t overfill the place so it’s perfectly fine. According to their website, they only allow 10 people at a time in the waiting area. I think that’s a reasonable number and people we’re just chilling on the sofas and occasionally petting the capybara.

2 My Experience at the Capybara Cafe

The Waiting Room

As I mentioned, I am fascinated by capybara and their cool energy. So I was looking forward to my visit to the cafe. Our booking was at 11:00am and we arrived 5 minutes before it. When we arrived, we were told to move upstairs to the waiting room. We waited for about 10 minutes until it was our turn to go down. While waiting, we put our coats on the hanger and our things inside the lockers. We also decided on our drinks which were two apple juices as each person must order a drink.

Sitting Area

Before we knew it, it was our turn to head downstairs. The capybaras are kept in the inner section of the cafe where the sofas and seating are. It was quite a chill and relaxing atmosphere with the capybara strolling around. People kept going up to them and petting them. The capybara seemed unbothered the whole time. One was even dosing off from time to time.

Feeding Snacks to the Capybara

One by one, each of us got to feed the capybara with the snacks we bought. You can either pick the veggies or the pellets. At the time, the staff said the capybara had enough of the pellets so we could only pick the veggies. What we got was 4 sticks of carrots for JP￥330. The pellets cost the same. You should also note that the staff only let you feed them when the capybara aren’t full.

I quite enjoyed feeding the giant rodent. It even pawed me when I took a bit too long to feed it the first carrot 😂 After we were done feeding, the little beast just strolled away, immediately uninterested. So my advice to you is to ask someone to take photos and videos for you while you feed them.

Be considerate

Everyone is there for only 30 minutes so don’t keep occupying the same spot where people feed the capybara. Simply move to the other side and take turns petting them. There was one couple that stayed on the sofa spot where the capybara was napping the whole time. I think they should have moved to the other side so everyone could hang out with the capybara. So don’t be like that couple and let everyone have a turn! This didn’t ruin my experience but it was just something to note. At the end of the day, no one said anything since we were all happy petting the other capybara that was strolling around and being more active.

3 How to Book the Capybara Cafe in Tokyo (Cafe Capyba)?

Like most things in Japan, you have to book the Cafe Capyba in advance. It will be on the morning of the visit day. We were a little bit unlucky because they only started the online booking system 5 days before we arrived in Tokyo. So, as far as we were aware, we just had to show up and line up. Don’t make the same mistake as us and book on their official website!

What you’ll have to do is go on to the website at exactly 8:00 am on the day you want to visit. Go through the simple booking page, select the number of people, enter your information and you’re done! Remember to act quickly because slots for the entire day run out within minutes. Both Elliot and I managed to book a spot for 2 people. Then, we cancelled our 2nd spot.

If you are successful, you should receive an email. You’ll also get a confirmation screen with a 3-digit booking number so just screen cap it for your reference.

One last thing to note is that the cafe only opens if the capybara are feeling well. That’s why they only open reservations at 8:00 am on the actual visit date. There’s a chance that the cafe might not open at all so try to keep your schedule flexible. If not, there are quite a few animal cafes in Tokyo you can check out!

RESERVATION TIP: When you click through the booking info, it will take some time for the page to load. You may even see a white screen. Be patient and don’t hit refresh. Eventually, the booking should go through.

4 Feeding Treats to the Capybara

We bought one serving of carrots for JP￥330. It had 4 sticks of carrots which seemed a bit little but hey everyone is feeding them so it makes sense. We sat on the sofa with these little blankets on our lap. The capybaras knew that food was coming when the blankets came on so one came over! We fed our 4 sticks of carrots and had some videos and photos taken at the same time. It was soooo cute. This experience totally met my expectations.

5 Capybara Cafe Cost Breakdown

You’ll need to pay for the minimum half-hour to enter the cafe and each person must also order a drink. Below are the cost breakdowns!

6 Where is the Capybara Cafe in Tokyo?

Click on the directions below to go to the cafe!

7 Cafe Capyba Menu

The drinks menu at Cafe Capyba is pretty simple. It’s mainly about the capybara experience. I got an apple juice which was quite good.

8 Capybara Cafe Instructions to Customers

Reserve in Advance

Reserve on 8:00 am on the day you want to visit. Take not of the regular closing days that are Wednesday and Thursday weekly.

Age Restrictions

The cafe is open to children above 6 years old. Children below 12 years old need to be accompanied by an adult.

Be on time

Come 5-10 minutes before your reservation time. Show the owners your reservation details and head up to the waiting area. While waiting, you can contemplate on your drink order!

Drinks

Each person must order one drink minimum.

9 My Overall Thoughts on Cafe Capyba

Although I was disappointed at first that I didn’t see the capybara on the first day due to the reservation issue, I ultimately preferred the new reservation system. Unlike other cafes in Tokyo, you don’t have to plan this visit months in advance. You simply reserve on the day which is a refreshing change. I wish other cafes would do the same. Not everything can be planned so far in advance and to a t! One tip for me would be for the cafe to be more vocal about their new reservation system so people don’t have to go all the way to the cafe to find out. A simple announcement on their Google Maps listing would do the trick.

I thought that the cafe was really chill and also appreciated the fact that there weren’t too many people. We got our drinks and petted the capybaras as frequently as we wished. Moreover, the capybara were really clean and did not smell at all. They are cleaned everyday so their fur seemed quite shiny and neat.

There was nice music in the background and the temperature was just right. I felt really comfortable and didn’t feel rushed at all despite it being only a 30-minute experience. I also enjoyed my refreshing apple juice with the cute capybara logo on the glass.

The staff was quite friendly and willing to answer our questions on the reservations. They didn’t seem too much in a hurry and it was a relatively small operation.

10 Conclusion

I really enjoyed my visit to the capybara cafe. The experience felt more relaxing than I had initially expected. I was blown away by the chill vibes and relaxing atmosphere at the cafe. Are you planning to visit the capybara cafe? Let me know in the comments below!

11 FAQ