The Hostile Planet documentary series by National Geographic is set to air in Japan from August 22. To celebrate the show's airing, a promotional shoot will take place at Inari Bridge in Shibuya on August 24 and 25 where three hippos will make an appearance to help spread the word of how animals have had to adapt to the recent rapid changes in the environment in order to survive. A Tale Of Hippo Parents & Child, Living Off Grasslands, and Rapid Environmental Changes From the Seasons Dry seasons are becoming regular, where water is snatched away from the earth's surface by the scorching sunlight. These are especially merciless seasons for hippos and a real threat to their survival. They cannot enter the water even for a brief moment. Their only options is to walk under the fire of the blazing sun. Their homes used to be packed full of watering holes, but now all they can do is embark on an aimless search. And the severity of this―the beating of the sun and lack of water―is becoming more and more of a problem. Three panel cutouts of hippos will be set up under Inari Bridge to tell a story of two parents and their child who who survived these harsh conditions by escaping from Katavi National Park in Tanzania and arriving in Shibuya, Tokyo.

I love animals!   This is P→★ from TEMPURA KIDZ and welcome to the first entry of my brand new series. I’ll be updating occasionally. What’s a better way to start a series than to make friends with some otters and hedgehogs in Harajuku? Today, I went to HARRY Harajuku Terrace café to do just that!   It’s not just what’s inside the café, but its location is also worthy of note – it’s just an 8-minute walk from JR Harajuku station and a 5-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Meiji-Jingu station, so it’s easy to drop by after a busy day of being a tourist. The wow-factor of this café is the three very sociable otters. This highly successful café draws in customers that come day after day, seeking the ultimate soothing feeling of bonding with their new friends.   All their faces look the same, but you can tell them apart by looking at their tails. The otter called Miku has a thin tail, whereas San has a thick one and Kirara has a flat one. Particularly Kirara is brimming with curiosity and is the one with whom you are mostly likely to interact, if you should pop by!   Full of excitement, the otters reached through the small hole in the tank to ask for food and toys. It was overwhelmingly cute. When they want a treat, they call out with their peculiar squeal. You can purchase snacks for them within the café. If you give them food, your friendship will grow increasingly stronger.   Otter snack prices: First-time customers: ￥330 (price including tax) Standard price: ￥540 (price including tax)   As the café name “HARRY” implies, the café has hedgehogs (harinezumi). The hedgehogs heal the tired hearts of all the café visitors. All the hedgehogs are friendly and rarely ever raise their quills at anyone, so you can touch them safely.   Even I can handle a hedgehog! Even though hedgehogs are rather timid, they can still open their hearts to you! I can’t believe that we even touched noses to communicate! It’s amazing!   The café was once a pet shop that sold rabbits and other small animals. This is it’s first time running business as a café, and that’s why you can not only interact with the animals here, but also buy one to keep. The staff also provide important information on how to properly care for the animals and diseases to which they are prone. If you are interested, then please feel free to ask them any kind of question.   There are many other animals in the shop. This is a large French Lop rabbit. 3 months after birth, their bodyweight can even reach up to 7kg. Their droopy ears were so cute and their fur was so fluffy! I was filled with happiness.   ...and there were even chinchillas.  They have fluffy tails and look so cute!   I approached them with some grass for them to snack on, and as soon as they saw me, they ran at me full of energy – we even got a photo together! As all the animals at this café are used to people, it’s easy to take pictures with them to upload on SNS websites!   The café has such a large variety of food for small animals that was quickly noticed by customers who were interested in buying a pet. You can ask the staff what type of food is appropriate for which animal.   I spent a lot of time surrounded by my favourite animals. I was particularly captured by the otters’ cute behaviour! HARRY Harajuku Terrace gives you the opportunity to freely interact with small animals – something that you can’t really do at a zoo or anywhere else. If you’re in Harajuku, how about stopping by? You may have to wait 30 minutes to enter the café if the store is closed. The café is very popular so I recommend that you reserve in advance!  

P→★ from TEMPURA KIDZ loves animals. This is his featured series in which he visits animal cafés in the city.   In this second entry, he made a trip to Owl’s Garden in Harajuku which houses not only owls, but hawks too! The café can be found behind Tokyu Plaza, a very favourable location since you can stop by after shopping in Harajuku. It’s a 6-minute walk from Harajuku Station or a 2-minute walk from Meiji-Jingumae Station. Today, P→★ is wearing an outfit inspired by Harry Potter! The café interior is styled on an English garden. There are 12 owls and hawks that live there. It’s full of natural light and greenery, making it a nice and comfortable place to relax. There are several price plans. The Standard Plan is ¥1,500 which gets you 60 minutes inside. During that time, you’re free to touch the birds, take photos of them and sit them on your arm as much as you like. P→★ met with the owls first. You can gently touch the top of their head down to their back as well as their chest. This owl is a Chaco Owl. If you want to hold the birds just ask the staff. You’ll be given a glove to wear for the bird to sit on. P→★ is now holding an American kestrel. This is the only falcon in the café. If you’re careful not to move your hand it will stay relaxed on your hand. This is a barn owl. Apparently lots of customers are captivated by its striking face. “This one’s so fluffy!” commented P→★. P→★ was particularly interested in this Little Owl (that’s the actual name of the species!) Its tiny size is enough to tug your heartstrings♡ Owls save energy and don’t move around much, so they’re perfect for snapping photos of. That goes for selfies too. Next is to try out being a falconer. There’s a number of cafés where you can come into contact with hawks but not that many where you can actually have one fly over to you, so some customers can spend several hours here. You begin with your back against the wall and bring your hand up to the same height as your shoulders at the count of 3. The hawk responded to the signal several meters way and flew right onto P→★’s hand.   It costs ¥500 for one turn which consists of two flights. “It’s like I’ve become a wizard!” The bird that flew to P→★ is the Harris’s hawk. They are known for their intelligence. Hawks are often perceived as scary but they’re actually very friendly to humans. You can enjoy a drink at this café while playing with the owls and hawks. If you make a reservation you get a drink on the house, otherwise it’s ¥100. It’s better to make a reservation if you’re planning to go there. The earrings they sell there are popular. They’re made from feathers that have fallen from the owls at the café. Be sure to find the feather of the bird you like there the most. They also sell a range of other merchandise including a photo collection of the owls. P→★ was very satisfied with his experience. It was his first time coming into contact with them, and his first time having a hawk fly to him.   “After watching Harry Potter, I wanted to own my own owl. It was a lot of fun interacting with them today. My image of hawks has changed too! If I’m rich in the future I want to have my own pet owl. Until then, I’ll be sure to come back here!” P→★ sure enjoyed Owl’s Garden. The café is arranged in a way that makes it easy to take photos. The natural lighting and greenery make it a great choice for Instagram. Be sure to make a reservation if you’re interested.   Check out the time P→★ went to Harajuku Terrace Café in his first Animal Diary Café entry here.