Woman visits world-famous aquarium. Then she learns what they do to the owls: ‘Okay but seriously, how do we help? What do we do?’

“For the love of God, do not do any aquariums in Japan,” a woman says.

This is the warning one American tourist has for anyone planning a trip to the country after a visit to an aquarium in Okinawa left her horrified by the treatment of its animals.

The woman (@user896564486655) explains that she and her husband had purchased tickets to two popular aquariums, DMM Kariyushi Aquarium and Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, without researching either beforehand. Her post has more than 736,000 views.

As she repeatedly admits throughout her video, she deeply regrets that decision.

“I'm gonna tell you the worst part first,” she says. According to the woman, the first exhibit at DMM Kariyushi featured five or six owls perched on artificial trees, with fish swimming in the neighboring section.

At first, she was “so excited” to see the owls, noting how some were tiny, and some were enormous.

“I do exactly what they hope you do, and I take out my phone, and I start recording,” she says, “and I don't look at any of the environment … I don't look at the conditions of them.”

While she was excitedly filming the idle birds, her husband was “looking a little bit unsettled.”

The disturbing parts of the experience

After leaving the aquarium, the woman decided to write a negative review about some of the other exhibits she'd seen, calling them “awful environments.”

That's when she discovered negative reviews about the aquarium, including several alleging that the owls were tethered to their artificial perches.

“They tie…the owls' feet to the trees,” she says. Looking back through her photos, she says she could see restraints around the owls' ankles that prevented them from leaving their perches.

The visit left her wondering whether the birds are rotated out or how long they're restrained, as well as how she managed to spend so much time admiring them without noticing their conditions.

She also describes “other really disturbing parts of the whole experience.” She says there was an animal interaction area where kids were “aggressively” chasing animals while the employees failed to intervene.

The woman says she immediately began posting warnings in Facebook groups for people traveling to Japan. She says she and her husband decided to forgo their already-purchased tickets to the much larger Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium over concerns about its whale shark exhibit.

“I have always been told that in Japan they have great animal welfare,” she says. “It only took a little bit of research after the fact to find out that actually it's the opposite, and they take awful care of their animals.”

“Stop giving Japan your money when it comes to animals,” she says.

DMM Kariyushi Aquarium's owl exhibit

DMM Kariyushi Aquarium does advertise close encounters with owls. In July 2025, the aquarium announced the opening of Kafu no Mori. The exhibit is designed to allow visitors to observe owls up close and participate in feedings.

Concerns about the way the birds are kept are not new. In a 2023 review, one Japanese travel blogger wrote, “I felt sorry for the owls and other animals that had ropes attached to their legs to prevent them from escaping.”

“If the first emotion you feel is pity, then feelings like ‘cute!' or ‘amazing!' disappear,” they added.

A few viewers in the comment section shared photos of DMM Kariyushi's tethered owls. Others denounced the country's popular animal cafés.

“That's how [I] felt about the animal cafes,” wrote one commenter. “Unfortunately Japan is kind of known for this. Hence the rampant animal cafes,” wrote another.

A third added, “My brother moved to Japan … When we visited we went to the zoo … It was awful, and he had to remind us that [PETA] and most animal rights laws don't exist in Japan.”

The harmful effects of tethering owls

A 2025 study found that owls were among the animals most commonly restrained in Japan's exotic animal cafés. Researchers wrote that the animals' environmental needs were not being met. Their restraints made them “unable to remove themselves or hide from the public at any time, impacting their ability to feel safe/secure.”

They also noted that “aversion to humans is common among owls, and close human interactions of a negative nature may be a significant stressor.”

A 2022 study published in Animal Welfare examined stress indicators among owls kept in Japanese owl cafés. They identified “lighting, tethering and frequent interactions with humans” as stressors.

Does Japan have animal welfare laws?

Japan does have an Act on Welfare and Management of Animals, which lawmakers enacted in 1973. The law addresses animal cruelty and regulates businesses that handle animals.

But animal welfare organizations have criticized the lack of protections for captive wildlife.

“It is concerning that there is no further guidance … applicable to animals in captive environments such as zoos,” World Animal Protection says.

“There is no policy or legislation related specifically to zoos,” it notes. The organization adds that “there has been international concern about the welfare of animals in zoos in the country.”

@user896564486655

Subplot News reached out to @user896564486655 via TikTok direct message.

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