Mito, Ibaraki, Japan
Smile to Heart Rescue Cat Cafe
Smile to Heart is the weekend rescue cat cafe of a Mito-based cat rescue group, in Kasaharacho in the south-west of Mito, near the Yamanoyu hot spring. The group first ran its cafe inside the Oarai Seaside Station shopping centre before moving it to Mito with its cats. The cats are rescues waiting for new homes, and many of them are very fond of people and happy to climb onto visitors' laps; staff explain each cat's personality and are glad to talk about the group's rescue work and adoption. Visits are charged by time, with extensions available, and goods such as the group's own T-shirts are sold to support its work. The cafe opens on Saturdays and Sundays from noon, but it is run largely by volunteers and occasionally closes when short-staffed, so checking its social media before visiting is advisable.
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Cat Cafes Nearby
Rescue Cat Cafe Eden
Mito, Ibaraki0.5 mi / 0.8 km
Rescue Cat Cafe Eden is a small rescue cat cafe in Motoyoshidacho, in the southern part of Mito. It began as a coffee shop, Eden Coffee, and relaunched on September 19, 2024 as a rescue cat cafe that also serves as a small shelter for cats in need. The cats include a good number of kittens, and most of them are very fond of people, so visitors often find a cat settling on their lap without any treats involved. The cats are looking for new homes, and the cafe also offers cat boarding. Visits are charged per hour or as a free-time pass, and the fees go towards the cats' food and veterinary care. Coffee from the cafe's earlier days is still served. It is open in the afternoon from Tuesday to Saturday and closed on Sundays and Mondays.
- Adoptable cats
Cafe Cait
Mito, Ibaraki1.9 mi / 3.0 km
Cafe Cait is a cat-themed cafe restaurant with a separate cat room in Sakumachi, Mito, about 11 minutes on foot from the south exit of Mito Station. It opened on February 22, 2024, Japan's cat day, as part of its owners' rescue work and later moved to its current building, which has parking for five or six cars. Diners eat in the restaurant space and then take turns in the adjoining cat room, a homely space where the cats come and go as they please; only visitors of junior high school age and older may enter it, while kittens are sometimes kept in the dining area. Fostered kittens are rehomed through the cafe. The menu includes homemade roast beef, cat-named dishes and drinks with paw-shaped ice, served on cat tableware. Reservations, parties and events for cat lovers are available. It is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- Adoptable cats
Cat Cafe MOCHA AEON Mall Mito Uchihara
Mito, Ibaraki6.0 mi / 9.6 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
ANELLA CAFE Hitachi
Hitachi, Ibaraki15 mi / 25 km
ANELLA CAFE Hitachi is a rescue dog and cat cafe in Onumacho, in the southern part of Hitachi, about five minutes by car from Omika Station on the JR Joban Line. Opened in August 2026 as the chain's second branch in Ibaraki Prefecture, it has a spacious room where visitors spend time with rescued dogs and cats that are waiting for new families. Adoptions are arranged through ANELLA's own process, and the cafe also holds regular adoption events. Visits are charged per 30 minutes with extensions in 15-minute blocks, with lower rates for elementary school children, seniors and visitors with disabilities. It opens at noon on weekdays and at 11 AM on weekends and public holidays, with last entry at 5:30 PM. The cafe is also a welfare workplace where staff with disabilities help care for the animals, and it offers grooming.
- Adoptable cats
- Walk-ins welcome
Neko Cafe Sukegawa
Hitachi, Ibaraki20 mi / 32 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.
Neko Cafe Jewelry
Kashima, Ibaraki21 mi / 34 km
Neko Cafe Jewelry is a cat cafe in a detached annex of the owner's home in Takei, Kashima, with a pleasant garden and its own parking. Around twenty cats live there, and unusually for a cat cafe, visitors may pick the cats up as long as they are gentle. The owner is also a breeder, and Minuet, Scottish Fold and Munchkin kittens are sold. In April 2024 she set up a separate non-profit that rescues stray and abandoned cats, and rescued cats are shown for adoption at the cafe. Visits are charged by time with a canned drink included, cat treats are sold, and visitors disinfect their hands and feet and wear socks before entering. Children of all ages are welcome. Phoning ahead is recommended. The cafe is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and on some other days.
- Adoptable cats