Amuse Park Iwaki Cat Cafe

Iwaki, Fukushima · 1.2 mi / 2.0 km

Ohana Rescue Cat Salon is a rescue cat cafe in front of Yumoto Station in Iwaki's Joban Yumoto hot-spring area, not far from Spa Resort Hawaiians. It is run by LYSTA, an animal welfare group founded after the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster that cares for around 170 rescued dogs and cats, and about 40 cats live at the salon while they wait for new families. Visits are charged per hour, with extensions in 30-minute blocks and cat treats for sale, and the proceeds fund the group's rescue work; adoption follows LYSTA's own process. The salon is open Fridays to Mondays and on public holidays, with last entry at 5:15 PM. There is no dedicated parking, so visitors driving should use coin parking near the station. Visitors who also go to the group's Ohana shelter in Uchigo on the same weekend get a discount at the second venue.

• Adoptable cats

Iwaki, Fukushima · 2.7 mi / 4.4 km

Ohana Rescue Cat Shelter is the weekend visiting room of LYSTA's animal shelter in Uchigo, Iwaki, about five minutes on foot from Uchigo Station on the JR Joban Line. LYSTA, a welfare group set up after the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster, opened it in 2023 as a second rescue cat cafe alongside its salon in Yumoto. Around 100 rescued cats live here, all looking for new homes, so visitors meet a large and varied group of cats in the shelter itself. Visits are charged per hour, with extensions in 30-minute blocks and cat treats for sale, and the proceeds go to the group's rescue work. The shelter is open to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 PM, with last entry at 3:15 PM, and visiting both Ohana venues on the same weekend earns a discount at the second one.

• Adoptable cats

Hitachi, Ibaraki · 27 mi / 43 km

Neko Kissa Coorikuya Hitachi is a branch of the Coorikuya cat cafe chain in Hidakacho, northern Hitachi, on National Route 6 about 16 minutes on foot from Ogitsu Station, with parking for visitors who drive. It is attached to the Coo&RIKU pet shop, which sells animals, but the cafe's cats are resident cats that visitors can play with and stroke. Visits are charged by time, with drinks available from the cafe's fridge, and newcomers can look around the room and menu before deciding to stay. Wi-Fi and power outlets are available. The cafe opens at 11 AM on weekdays and 10 AM on weekends and public holidays, closing at 8 PM with last entry at 7:30 PM, and its closing days follow those of the pet shop.

Hitachi, Ibaraki · 30 mi / 48 km

This small cat cafe in Sukegawacho, Hitachi, about 16 minutes on foot from the central exit of Hitachi Station, is a weekend-only cafe whose cats are rescues. The building has a dining room with a simple, inexpensive food menu and a separate cat room, partitioned off from the dining space, where food and drink are not allowed. Visits to the cat room are charged per 30 minutes. Around six cats live there; some are former strays that prefer to keep to the cat walks or rest in their cages, while others are friendly and come straight to visitors, so it suits people who are happy simply to watch the cats as well as those hoping to play. The cafe is run by an older couple and is open only on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11 AM to 5 PM.

Tamura, Fukushima · 32 mi / 52 km

Fukunyans Cafe Mofu Mofu is an owl and cat cafe in Funehikimachi, Tamura, in the countryside east of Koriyama. Visitors share the space with friendly cats and a collection of birds, including Ural owls and other owls of various sizes, parrots and parakeets, while hawks and kites sit outside in good weather. Each bird is clearly marked as touchable or not, and staff explain how to handle them; an owl arm-perch experience is offered for an extra charge. Visits are charged per 30 minutes, one hour or two hours, with lower rates for children, a flat entry fee for small children and free entry for under-threes. No food or drinks are served. It is open on Saturday afternoons and on Sundays and public holidays, with last entry at 4:30 PM; weekday visits are by reservation only, made by phone by the day before. There is a small car park.

Sukagawa, Fukushima · 34 mi / 54 km

Amuse Park Sukagawa Cat Cafe is a cat room inside Amuse Park Sukagawa, an amusement complex in Daikokumachi, about 1.6 km from Sukagawa Station, that also has a large batting stadium, an all-weather indoor fishing pond, a game corner and a gem-hunting area. The cafe has a resident team of cats introduced on the facility's website and social media, with new kittens named with help from visitors. Visits are charged by time. The complex opens in the early afternoon on weekdays and at 10 AM on weekends, but the cat cafe keeps its own, shorter hours, so it is worth checking before a late visit. It is one of several cat cafes run by the Amuse Park group in Fukushima Prefecture, alongside those in Fukushima City, Koriyama, Iwaki and Aizuwakamatsu, and has its own parking.