Cat Cafes in Japan

Musashino, Tokyo

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​⁠Cafe Temari no Ouchi (てまりのおうち) is a cat cafe on the third floor of a building in Kichijoji Honcho, Musashino, Tokyo, about five minutes' walk from Kichijoji Station. It opened in 2013 and is themed as a mysterious cat forest where guests take tea among the cats. About 20 resident cats of many breeds live there, including Norwegian Forest Cat, Bombay, Russian Blue, Chinchilla Persian, Maine Coon, Egyptian Mau, Tonkinese, Bengal, Munchkin and Scottish Fold. Admission is a flat fee with no time limit, and ordering from the menu of drinks, sweets, food and alcohol is optional; guests may also bring their own food and drinks. Walk-ins are welcome, though there may be a wait when busy. Children of any age may visit, with elementary school children and younger accompanied by a guardian, and shoes come off at the entrance. Free Wi-Fi is available. Its sister shop, Temari no Oshiro, is in Kichijoji Petit Mura nearby. It is open from 12 PM to 8 PM on weekdays and from 11 AM on weekends.

Osaka

Save ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌⁠Cat Cafe is a rescue cat cafe in Tenjinbashi, Kita Ward, Osaka, about 3 minutes on foot from JR Tenma Station. Opened on April 1, 2015, it works with the NPO Osaka Neko Net, and its cats are all looking for new homes. Visits are booked as 90-minute sets that include a drink, with options that add homemade cake, and there is a two-hour curry set; extensions are charged per 30 minutes. Bookings open up to a month ahead and are taken through LINE, or by phone on the day, and walk-ins are seated only when there is space. Guests must be at least 10 years old, rising to 15 from 2027. Credit cards are not accepted. The cafe is closed on Mondays, and proceeds from food and original goods fund the cats' care.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Osaka

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​⁠no Jikan is widely credited as Japan's first cat cafe, opened in Osaka in 2004. It is in Kurosakicho, Kita Ward, about 3 minutes on foot from Exit 1 of Nakazakicho Station and 5 minutes from JR Tenma Station. The cafe has a calm Japanese-style room with tatami mats as well as a cafe area, and its cats range from pedigrees to mixed breeds. Entry to the main cafe is a flat fee, slightly higher at weekends and on public holidays, and no reservation is needed. Small children are admitted only between 11 AM and 1 PM, at a reduced 30-minute rate. A separate private room, Second House, can be booked in advance by email. The cafe is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, stays open until 8 PM on the fourth Friday of each month, and has an English page on its website.

Osaka

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌⁠no Eniwa is a rescue cat cafe on the second floor of the Mikado Building in Sennichimae, in the Namba area of Chuo Ward, about 3 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Nipponbashi Station. It has a spacious room where rescued cats with distinct personalities roam freely, and many of them are happy to sit on visitors' laps. All of the cats can be adopted, and staff can also introduce cats that are still in training. Drinks are not served, but visitors may bring their own in sealed bottles, and toys and brushes can be used free of charge. Advance reservations are not taken; when the room is full, visitors can pay in advance for the next free slot. Payment is cash only and children under about 11 are not usually admitted. The cafe stays open late into the evening and is closed on Thursdays.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Tokyo

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​⁠Maru Cafe Ueno (猫まるカフェ 上野店) is a cat cafe on the eighth floor of the Toeido Building in Ueno, Taito, Tokyo, a minute's walk from the Asakusa exit of JR Ueno Station. About 30 cats live there, and the cafe also rescues cats and looks for homes for them. Visits currently start at one hour: ¥1,700 on weekdays or ¥1,800 on weekends and holidays, with time added in 15-minute steps, and longer packs are available. Under-16s must come with a guardian. Food and drinks are optional, and meals such as omurice, gapao rice, curry and pasta come with a drink for ¥1,200; outside food and drink are not allowed. On weekdays at 1 PM and 6 PM visitors can give the cats treats for free. Socks or stockings are required, and flash photography is not allowed. Walk-ins are accepted. A reservation-only night cat cafe runs after regular hours from Thursday to Sunday. It is open from 12 PM to 8 PM on weekdays, 11 AM to 8 PM on Saturdays and 11 AM to 7 PM on Sundays.

• Adoptable cats

Nagoya, Aichi

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌⁠Manma is a long-running cat cafe in Minamiwakecho, Showa Ward, Nagoya, about 10 minutes on foot from Gokiso Station on the Sakura-dori subway line, which runs directly from Nagoya Station. It is part of a cat-only facility that also has a grooming salon and a boarding hotel for owners' cats. The cat cafe now opens on only one weekend day a week, a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, and the dates for each month are announced on the website; the salon and hotel run on the other days. The resident cats cover many breeds. Visits are charged by the hour with free drinks, the length of stay is chosen on arrival, and extra time is charged in 5-minute steps. Guests must be of elementary school age or older and need to wear socks.

Nagoya, Aichi

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​‌⁠Cafe Hitoyasumi is a rescue cat cafe on the second floor of a building in Nishiki 3-chome, Naka Ward, Nagoya, about 5 minutes on foot from Marunouchi and Hisaya-odori stations and 8 minutes from Sakae Station. Open since 2013, it is a partner venue of Hananoki Shelter, a Nagoya rescue group, and also looks after cats from registered individual rescuers. Most of its roughly 14 cats are looking for new homes, and adoptions follow Hananoki Shelter's process. Visits are charged in time bands with free drinks, the top band comes with a pass for re-entry on the same day, and payment is cash only. Free Wi-Fi is available. Picking up the cats isn't allowed, and visitors must be of elementary school age or older. Kittens under one year are out until 8 PM. The cafe is open every day, with temporary changes posted on its Ameblo blog.

• Adoptable cats

Tokyo

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌⁠Cafe MONTA is a cat cafe on the eighth floor of the Satellite Fuji Building in Hanakawado, Asakusa, overlooking the Sumida River. It has a quiet, lounge-like interior with sofas, and its cats, which have included Bengals, American Curls and Munchkins, also appear as models in TV, commercials and books. Visits are charged by time, with a 60-minute minimum and 10-minute units after that, and guests keep track of their own time. Drinks, sweets and light meals such as pasta are available but not required. Shoes come off at the entrance, picking up the cats is not allowed, and payment is in cash. Children under 12 are not admitted, and those under 15 need a guardian. It is closed on Tuesdays, or Wednesday when Tuesday is a public holiday. On the night of the Sumida River Fireworks Festival it takes a few reserved groups to watch the fireworks from the cafe.

Osaka

Gurugurudo ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​⁠Neko Cafe is a cat cafe on the second floor of the Dai-2 Tada Building in Nishi-Shinsaibashi, in the America-mura area near Dotonbori, a few minutes on foot from Namba and Shinsaibashi. Inspired by a tropical resort, it has a bamboo-lined interior and a cat tower made by craftsmen in Bali, and it serves Asian-style drinks such as chai. Its cats, many of them large long-haired breeds, all come from one breeder. Visits are charged by the hour, with a free-time plan, a cheaper free-time plan after 5 PM and a 90-minute plan for couples, and a cat snack is included. The cafe is aimed at adults, and preschool children are not admitted. It is open every day, closing earlier on Mondays.

Tokyo

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​⁠Cafe Coorikuya Ikebukuro West Exit is a branch of the Coorikuya cat cafe chain in the Nishi-Ikebukuro Building, about a minute on foot from the West Exit of Ikebukuro Station. Reception is at the counter of the Coo&RIKU pet shop on the second floor, and the cat room is on the fifth floor. The chain is run by the Coo&RIKU pet shop group and has more than 70 cafes across Japan, and its cats are relatively young and come through the group's pet shop business. The room is small, with manga to read, and unlimited canned and bottled drinks are included. Visits are charged per 30 or 60 minutes or as a free-time pass, from ¥715 for 30 minutes at the chain's standard rates, and cat treats are sold. Reservations are not taken. Children under junior high school age must come with an adult, and children under 3 enter free. It is open daily until 8 PM, from 11 AM on weekdays and 10 AM on weekends and holidays, with last entry at 7:30 PM.

Osaka

catteria ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌⁠cloud nine is a small cafe with resident cats in the Higashimikuni neighbourhood of Yodogawa Ward, near Higashi-Mikuni Station on the Midosuji Line. Running since the late 2000s, it reopened in November 2023 as a book cafe with cats, stocked with cat picture books, photo books and manga. The room is divided into a cafe booth and a cat booth; use of the cat booth is charged separately and includes one drink. About five cats live there, mostly calm older residents that spend much of the evening asleep. The owner cooks home-style dishes such as Thai curry and bakes cakes, and Saturday evenings have a bar time with cocktails. It opens only in the evenings from Thursday to Sunday and is closed Monday to Wednesday and on the third and fifth Sundays. Booking ahead by phone is recommended.

Kyoto

Cat's ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​⁠Eye is a cat cafe and art gallery on the third floor of a small triangular building in Shintomicho, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto, about 5 minutes on foot from Jingu-Marutamachi Station. Since it opened in August 2016, six rescue cats have wandered among the paintings on show, and a large south-facing window lets them bask in the sun. Visits are charged by the hour with one drink, with extensions per 30 minutes. With only about ten seats, it can fill up. The owner greets visitors in English, and about half of them come from abroad. It opens in the afternoons and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; when one of those days is a public holiday, it opens that day and closes on the Thursday instead.

• Walk-ins welcome