Cat Cafes in Japan

Kani, Gifu

moffmoff ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌⁠is a small rescue cat cafe in Shimogiri, Kani, one minute on foot from Shimogiri Station on the JR Taita Line. Apart from a few resident cats, the cats are looking for new homes, so the line-up changes as adoptions go through. No reservation is needed. Visitors read the house rules before entering, socks are required, and children are welcome from elementary school age with a guardian. Visits are charged by time, and after one hour before closing only the 30-minute course is available. The cafe makes a point of its drinks, which are not served in paper cups, and it sells cat goods and crafts by local makers and hosts workshops. The last entry is at 7:30 PM and it is closed on Thursdays. The owners also offer pet sitting in the surrounding area. Parking is in front of the shop and in a second lot nearby.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Kani, Gifu

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌⁠House Kuu is a volunteer-run cafe in the Wakabadai residential area of Kani where visitors can spend time with rescued cats. The cats were mostly once strays and are now very friendly with people. The cafe and the cat room are separate, and the cats can also be watched through glass from the cafe, which suits visitors with allergies. The cafe charge includes a drink with baumkuchen and sweets, and visitors who want to go into the cat room read the room rules first. Food and drink are not allowed in the cat room, socks are required, and young children must be accompanied by a parent. Donations towards food and vet bills are welcome, and the cafe can advise on finding homes for cats. Since April 2026 it opens on Mondays, Thursdays, weekends and public holidays, with a few days off each month listed on its calendar.

• Adoptable cats

Mizunami, Gifu

CAT-Walk ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌⁠is a rescue cat cafe in Minamioda, Mizunami, a short way off the national highway. Opened in June 2019, it fosters rescued cats from the local area and looks for adopters for them, and kittens are sometimes among the cats. The cat room is a clean Japanese-style space where the cats can be stroked and played with using toys. Visitors can choose a one-hour course that includes a drink in a lidded cup or a shorter 30-minute course without a drink, and ice cream or floats can be added. Staff open the door to the cat room so the cats cannot slip out, so visitors ring the bell on arrival. It is one of the few cat cafes in the Tono area. The cafe is open from late morning to 5 PM and closed on Mondays.

• Adoptable cats

Gifu

Neco ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌⁠Republic Gifu is a rescue cat cafe in Masaki, in the north of Gifu City. Opened in February 2014, it was the first branch of Neco Republic, a self-funding rescue cafe operator that now runs 16 locations across Japan, and the first rescue cat cafe in Gifu Prefecture. The cafe is in a renovated old house with six cat rooms across two floors, including Japanese and Western-style rooms and cat stairs, and visitors can move between them freely. All the cats are up for adoption, and staff can advise anyone thinking about adopting. Admission, drinks and goods purchases go towards the cats' food and medical costs. Booking ahead is currently requested. The cafe is open in the afternoon and closed on Thursdays. Neco Republic also runs NECOS, a nearby shop whose profits support the cats.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Gifu

Nekonomimi ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌⁠Nyankyo is a home-style cat cafe in Shimada, in the north-west of Gifu City, set in a converted detached house where the cats greet visitors at the front door. It works by reservation only, booked through its LINE account, and takes one group at a time, so visitors have the cats to themselves. Visitors without a meal are shown to an upstairs cat room with around five or six cats, which is separate from a room the cats use as their toilet area. Visits are charged by the hour, drinks are chosen from bottles and cartons, and bags of cat treats can be bought. Light meals such as hot sandwiches decorated with cats, pasta and rice bowls are cooked to order. The cafe moved to this house from its earlier shop in the Noritake area. There is free parking and payment is cash only.

Ginan, Gifu

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​⁠Cafe Coorikuya Ginan is a branch of the Coorikuya cat cafe chain inside the Coo&RIKU pet shop in Kamiinjiki, Ginan, six minutes on foot from Hosobata Station on the Meitetsu Kakamigahara Line. The cafe has a wood-toned room with large windows and catwalks running along the walls and ceiling, and around a dozen cats of various pedigree breeds. Visits are charged by time, with free-time plans and a free drink bar on weekdays, and drinks can be taken into the cat area. Treats can be bought to feed the cats. Staff are called with a bell when needed. The pet shop next door sells puppies and kittens and offers grooming and pet boarding. The last entry is at 7:30 PM, and the cafe opens an hour earlier on weekends and holidays. There is a large car park.

Gifu

Ninja ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌⁠Neko Cafe Nekokage is a rescue cat cafe in Iwachi, in the east of Gifu City, a short walk from JR Nagamori Station. Opened in early 2023, it is designed like a ninja house, with an entrance in that style, a revolving hidden wall and catwalks covering a whole wall. All the cats are rescues, and adoption can be arranged for anyone interested. The cafe is run by Schanze, a welfare workplace that trains people with developmental and mental disabilities for employment. Visits are charged per 30 or 60 minutes with a drink included, with lower rates for students, children and visitors with disabilities, and weekday free-time plans. Preschool children can use the 30-minute plan only. Visitors are asked not to pick up the cats, and socks are required. There is free parking for about 15 cars, and it is closed on Tuesdays.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Ogaki, Gifu

Kutsurogi ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌⁠Cat Cafe norara is a rescue cat cafe in Fujie, Ogaki, about 10 minutes on foot from JR Ogaki Station, built around the idea of relaxing at home with cats. The cafe area and the cat area are separate, so visitors can also come just to eat, with pancakes, pound cakes and drinks on the menu. The cat area is open to visitors of junior high school age and older who have not brought pets with them, and socks or tights are required (socks are sold on site). Staff introduce each cat and there are profile cards describing their personalities, and visitors can leave notes in a shared diary. Treats can be bought for the cats. Last entry to the cat area is at 6:30 PM on long days. It opens on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and runs reservation-only event days during school holidays.

Motosu, Gifu

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌⁠Cafe Miao Lino is a rescue cat cafe in Kamimakuwa, Motosu, run by LINO POPOKI, a Gifu cat rescue group that supports people who take in cats and matches them with adopters. Opened in October 2025, it shares its building with Hare Ma-rie, a welfare workplace for people with disabilities, whose users also help look after the cats. The cats live in a calm Japanese-style room and are looking for new homes, and the cafe regularly hosts small adoption events. Staff explain each cat's name and personality on arrival, and the visit includes self-service drinks from a wide selection. Socks are required. Parking is behind the building on its north side.

• Adoptable cats

Mitake, Gifu

NECO ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌⁠CAFE Fuwari is a cat cafe in Mitake, just east of Kani, with around 10 cats, most of them rescues. The cats roam freely in a spacious, clean room with cat trees, and the cafe also has a resident dog. Visits are charged for the first hour with cheaper extensions, half price for junior high school students and younger, and include free drinks. The cafe welcomes visitors who want to read, work or simply photograph the cats, and offers free Wi-Fi and charging points. It is aimed at children from the upper years of elementary school and older without cat allergies. Booking is given priority, but walk-ins are accepted when there is space. A LINE membership collects stamps for each visit, and the cafe holds events such as adoption fairs. It is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Nakatsugawa, Gifu

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​⁠Oasis 'Ohana is a rescue cat cafe near Nakatsugawa City Hall where visitors can have a drink while spending time with around 20 to 26 rescued cats. The cafe aims to match its cats with new families, and some cats are sent on to a partner adoption cafe in Tokyo. Adoption involves a questionnaire, a home visit and a trial period, and the cafe offers adopters ongoing support such as cat sitting during travel. Visits are charged per 30 minutes, with reduced rates for preschool children and free entry for children aged three and under. No reservation is needed, socks are required and visiting several cat cafes on the same day is not allowed. The last entry is 30 minutes before closing. The cafe streams live on YouTube most mornings. It is closed on Thursdays and Fridays, except on public holidays.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Nakatsugawa, Gifu

Rescue ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌⁠Cat House Nanairo is a shelter for rescued cats in Nakatsugawa run by the NPO Inochi no Ouentai, which works on rescue, neutering and adoption in Nakatsugawa and Ena. The house is an old Japanese home on the grounds of the Miyamasu pachinko hall, next to a coin laundry, and around 60 cats live there, including some that carry FIV. It opens to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in the afternoon, when anyone can drop in to play with the cats, give them treats and meet cats looking for adopters. Weekday visits can be arranged by contacting the group. The house may close at short notice, which is announced on Instagram. Parking is beyond the coin laundry, not at the pachinko hall.

• Adoptable cats