ANELLA CAFE Tsuchiura

Ami, Ibaraki · 4.8 mi / 7.8 km

Neko Cafe Nekodamari is a small, handmade cat cafe in Nakago, Ami, that opened on February 22, 2011, Japan's cat day, and calls itself a cat cafe for grown-ups. About ten cats live there, many of them large, calm and happy to be stroked, though picking them up is not allowed. Visits are by reservation, with at most four guests in the room at a time, and only visitors of junior high school age and older are admitted. Visits are charged per hour, with extensions in 10-minute blocks; drinks are not currently served, and toys are not provided, although new toys may be brought. The owner knows each cat's personality well and is happy to introduce them. The cafe is open in the afternoon from Wednesday to Sunday and on public holidays, with last entry before 5 PM, and closures are announced on X. There is free parking.

• Booking required

Tsukuba, Ibaraki · 7 mi / 11 km

Moff animal cafe iias Tsukuba is a branch of the Moff animal cafe chain on the first floor of the outdoor mall at iias Tsukuba, about five minutes on foot from Kenkyu-gakuen Station on the Tsukuba Express. It has a resident group of around nine cats, including a Bengal, a LaPerm, a Scottish Fold, a Norwegian Forest Cat, a Ragamuffin, a Ragdoll, a British Shorthair, a Minuet and an American Shorthair, alongside owls, a falcon, a kookaburra, meerkats, hedgehogs, chinchillas and other small animals and reptiles. Entry is a single fee with no time limit plus a compulsory drink bar, with a lower rate for children aged four to elementary school and free entry for under-threes; holding the animals is not allowed. No booking is needed. It is open daily from 10 AM to 8 PM, with last entry at 7 PM, following the mall's closing days.

• Walk-ins welcome

Ami, Ibaraki · 7 mi / 11 km

Curry & Sweets Cafe Nekodango is a gluten-free curry and sweets cafe with a rescue cat room in a residential area of Ami, about five minutes by car from the Ushiku-Ami interchange of the Ken-O Expressway and ten minutes from Ami Premium Outlets and the Ushiku Daibutsu. Spice curries are made without wheat flour and the tarts and baked goods use rice flour. A separate cat room, fully divided from the dining area by walls and a door, is home to rescued cats waiting for new families, and diners can use it free of charge after their meal; socks are required. The staff give advice on adopting, and an adoption event is held on the second Sunday of each month. Reservations are taken only for the 11 AM opening, with later guests seated in order of arrival. The cafe is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and has five parking spaces.

• Adoptable cats

Chikusei, Ibaraki · 19 mi / 31 km

Neko Kissa Coorikuya Chikusei is a branch of the Coorikuya cat cafe chain on the second floor above the Coo&RIKU pet shop in Kamiwake, Chikusei, about nine minutes by car from JR Shimodate Station and close to the Furispo sports centre. Opened on February 24, 2018 as the chain's second cafe in Ibaraki Prefecture, it has a room of friendly resident cats that visitors can play with and stroke; the pet shop downstairs sells animals separately. Visits are charged by time, with drinks available, and first-time visitors can look around before deciding to stay. 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. There is parking.

Mito, Ibaraki · 20 mi / 33 km

Cat Cafe MOCHA AEON Mall Mito Uchihara is a branch of the MOCHA cat cafe chain on the third floor of AEON Mall Mito Uchihara, in the Uchihara district of western Mito, about ten minutes on foot from JR Uchihara Station. The bright, spacious room is home to cats of many breeds, such as Minuets, and twice a day, at 10:30 AM and 7 PM, visitors can watch the cats line up for their meal. Visits are charged per 10 minutes with a daily maximum, at slightly higher rates on weekends and holidays, and a drink bar, manga and magazines are available. No booking is needed. Children under three enter free, and children under junior high school age must come with an adult, with up to three children per adult. The cafe is open every day from 10 AM to 8 PM, with last entry at 7:30 PM.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Kashiwa, Chiba · 21 mi / 34 km

Nekonote is a combined cat cafe and cat goods shop on the fourth floor of the Shiina Building in central Kashiwa, about five minutes on foot from the east exit of Kashiwa Station. It is run by a cat breeder, so kittens and rare and short-legged breeds are usually in residence, and kittens bred by the shop are offered for sale. The cats are raised to be handled and many will sit on visitors' laps. Visits are charged per 30 or 60 minutes with 10-minute extensions, and set menus combine cat time with drinks, cat treats or food such as cat-shaped omurice and pancakes. The first part of the day on weekends and holidays is priority time for children and students. Shoes are removed at the entrance. The shop also sells more than 2,500 cat-themed goods, including a large range of umbrellas, and closes on irregular days.