Curry & Sweets Cafe Nekodango

Ami, Ibaraki · 2.6 mi / 4.1 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

Tsuchiura, Ibaraki · 7 mi / 11 km

ANELLA CAFE Tsuchiura is a rescue dog and cat cafe in Higashitsuwa, western Tsuchiura, and the first branch of the ANELLA chain in Ibaraki Prefecture. It is about 11 minutes by car from JR Tsuchiura Station, or a 10-minute bus ride to the Tsukuba Kokusai Daigaku stop followed by a three-minute walk, and has its own parking. Visitors spend time with rescued dogs and cats that are waiting for new families, and adoptions are arranged through ANELLA's own process, with regular adoption events. Visits are charged per 30 minutes with extensions in 15-minute blocks, and there are lower rates for elementary school children, seniors and visitors with disabilities. The cafe is open every day, from noon on weekdays and from 11 AM on weekends and holidays. It doubles as a welfare workplace where staff with disabilities help care for the animals, and it has a grooming salon.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Tsukuba, Ibaraki · 8 mi / 12 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

Kashiwa, Chiba · 16 mi / 25 km

Cat Café MOFF Seven Park Ario Kashiwa is a cat cafe on the third floor of the Seven Park Ario Kashiwa shopping mall in Oshimata, Kashiwa, reached by bus from the east exit of Kashiwa Station followed by a short walk. Opened in April 2023 as part of the MOFF chain, it has around 30 cats of many pedigree breeds, among them American Shorthairs, Scottish Folds, Munchkins, Persians, Bengals, Siberians, a Maine Coon and a Ragdoll. Entry is charged for the first 30 minutes with one drink order per person, then in 10-minute extensions, with a daily cap that is higher on weekends and holidays. Reservations are not needed, children aged three and under enter free, and children of elementary school age or younger must come with an adult. The cafe follows the mall's opening days, and the cats are fed at set times twice a day.

• Walk-ins welcome

Kashiwa, Chiba · 16 mi / 25 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.

Kashiwa, Chiba · 16 mi / 26 km

Neko no Hitai is a cat cafe in a detached house in the countryside of Fujigaya, in the former Shonan town area of eastern Kashiwa. It is reached by Rainbow Bus from Takayanagi Station on the Tobu Urban Park Line to the Yanohashi stop, then about eight minutes on foot, and has a small car park. Opened in May 2018, it has a home-like setting with around 11 cats, including a Ragdoll, and two goats that can be seen from the window. Visitors pay an entry fee plus at least one food or drink order, and a private-time option is also offered. Visitors must be ten or older, socks are required, and reservations can be made by phone. The cafe opens four days a week, from late morning to late afternoon, and holds a monthly evening live event called Neko Shukai.

• Booking recommended