Cat Cafes in Japan

Yufu, Oita

Gallery ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​⁠Alice's Tearoom Cheshire Cat Forest is a cat cafe themed on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, on the ground floor of Yufuin Floral Village, the European-style shopping village near the Yunotsubo street in Yufuin. Every cat here is a Bengal, chosen for their leopard-like spotted coats, and each is named after an Alice character. Entry is a flat fee per person with a lower rate for children aged 6 to 12, who must come with an adult; children under 6 are not admitted. A visit is about 30 minutes and includes one drink from the self-service machine. Tickets are sold at the door for the same day only, and outside food and drink are not allowed. It is run by the same company as the Owl Forest and Mameshiba Cafe in the same village, and closes half an hour earlier from December to February.

• Walk-ins welcome

Yufu, Oita

Waraneko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​⁠no Yado is a small hot spring inn on the hillside of Kawaminami in Yufuin, about 10 minutes by taxi from Yufuin Station, with its own cat cafe, Waraneko Cafe. The cafe is home to a group of about seven resident cats, and staff explain each cat's likes and dislikes before guests go in. Overnight guests can use the cat cafe for a flat fee in the evening after check-in and again in the early morning, and the inn's private open-air and indoor baths can be reserved for exclusive use. Visitors who are not staying can book a one-hour daytime cat cafe session, currently held on Sundays only and requiring a reservation by the previous day. Children under junior high school age are not admitted, and payment is cash only. The inn itself is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and the cats stay inside the cat cafe room.

• Booking required

Usa, Oita

The ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌⁠Cat Salon is a cat room in the petting zone of African Safari, the drive-through safari park in Ajimu, Usa, in the hills between Beppu and Usa. It houses a large collection of pedigree and unusual cat breeds, with a petting room and a grooming room built for the cats, and each cat has its own bed. Visitors can stroke the cats marked as happy to be touched, but cats cannot be picked up or fed, and notices explain which cats prefer to be left alone. The salon charges a small separate fee, and park admission is required, since the shops and salons cannot be visited on their own. Visits last about 20 minutes, and entry can close early on busy days. Children under 4 need an accompanying adult. The park is open every day, and the cafe Catnip is next door.

Usa, Oita

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​⁠no Heya is a rescue cat cafe in Yamashita, Usa, run by the volunteer rescue group Dog Home Anchan 2271 alongside its bakery Pan no Oto. It opens on Sundays, around three times a month, from late morning to mid-afternoon, and doubles as an adoption meeting: the cats were rescued locally and are all waiting for new homes. Visitors are welcome whether or not they plan to adopt, and can play with and stroke the cats. Entry is charged per hour and includes a drink, with half price for children of junior high school age and younger, and a support membership gives a discounted pass. Booking by phone is recommended, as the room holds a limited number of people. Adoption involves a home trial and a contribution to vaccination and neutering costs, and bakery sales help fund the group's rescue and TNR work.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Beppu, Oita

Aratama ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​⁠Ryokan is a small hot spring inn in the old Hamawaki onsen district of Beppu, about five minutes on foot from JR Higashi-Beppu Station. Founded in 1923, it is now home to around 80 rescued cats taken in by the owners, many of them with health conditions that mean they cannot be rehomed. The cats live in their own rooms, and guests meet them during set cat sessions in a dedicated cat room, changing into clothes provided for the room and following strict hygiene rules. Overnight guests get cat time as part of their stay, and day visitors can book an early-afternoon cat session together with a private bath in the inn's own spring. One of the cat rooms is streamed live on YouTube around the clock. Booking by phone or online is advised. The inn puts the cats' welfare first and keeps firm house rules.

Miyazaki

Jasmine ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​⁠Rice is a cafe restaurant with a separate cat room in Suehiro, Miyazaki, about 20 minutes on foot from the west exit of JR Miyazaki Station, with free parking. The dining room serves home-style lunch sets with small side dishes, fried rice made with jasmine rice, hot sandwiches, pancakes and desserts, and evening parties can be arranged by reservation. Before or after eating, guests can go into the cat room, where a group of mostly rescued cats live; some are friendly lap cats while others prefer to watch from a distance, and toys help to bring them out. Use of the cat room comes with a food or drink order rather than a timed charge, so there is no fixed time limit. Food and cats are kept in separate rooms. The cafe opens Thursday to Sunday only.

Miyazaki

cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​⁠house MEW is a cat cafe on the second floor of the Miyako City shopping centre in Oyodo, Miyazaki, next to JR Minami-Miyazaki Station. It opened in April 2026 beside the Pets Mate pet shop, which runs it. The bright, white interior has a cafe-style lounge where around a dozen friendly cats of various breeds roam freely, and staff introduce each cat by name and personality. Visits are charged per 30 minutes, with a lower rate for elementary school children and younger; soft drinks are free to help yourself to, and drinks bought elsewhere in the mall may be brought in, but not food. Cat treats are sold at the counter. Socks are required, with disposable slippers on sale, and children of junior high school age or younger must come with a guardian. Closing days are irregular.

Miyazaki

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌⁠Cafe PoPoKi is a small cat cafe in an apartment (room 202) in Jinguhigashi, Miyazaki, about 7 minutes on foot from JR Miyazaki-Jingu Station, with a parking space below the building. Opened in 2018 and moved to its current room in November 2023, it is known for its Bengal cats and also has Abyssinians and black cats, raised around people and generally happy to be held. The operator is also a Bengal breeder and sells kittens. Visits are charged for 40, 70 or 90 minutes with a drink from a vending machine included, and cat treats are sold. Children of junior high school age or younger must come with a guardian, and visits with preschoolers are limited to 40 minutes. Socks are required. Calling ahead is recommended, and the cafe is closed on Tuesdays.

Miyakonojo, Miyazaki

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​​‌⁠Cafe f.Non is a cat cafe in an ordinary house in a residential area of Minamiyokoichi, Miyakonojo, about 5 minutes on foot from the Tobaru-danchi bus stop and roughly 2.6 km from Nishi-Miyakonojo Station. Opened in 2020 as the first house-style cat cafe in Miyazaki Prefecture, it has a relaxed home setting where many cats, including foreign and less common breeds, wander freely and can be stroked. Visits are charged for the first 30 minutes and then in 10-minute steps, with a drink included, and the prices are low. There is no age limit, so families with small children often visit, and a point card gives small gifts to regulars. The cafe opens on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and on weekdays takes group bookings only. Parking is limited.

Miyakonojo, Miyazaki

Utataneko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​⁠is a coffee house with a cat room in Takagi, Miyakonojo, set in a traditional-style detached house with views over the surrounding fields. The owner, a lover of cats and books, added the cat room in October 2017, and the cafe keeps shelves of books alongside a menu of coffee, stewed hamburger steak with grilled vegetables and other home-style dishes. The cats can be watched from the cafe, and guests whose order reaches a set amount can go into the cat room after paying to stroke and play with a small group of resident cats. Shoes come off at the entrance. Preschool children cannot enter the cat room. The cafe is closed Monday to Wednesday and sometimes closes at short notice, so it is worth checking before a visit.

Kunitomi, Miyazaki

Hogo ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌⁠Neko Cafe HOGOYA is a donation-based rescue cat cafe in the countryside of Kunitomi, west of Miyazaki City. It is attached to Inochi no House Hogoya, a shelter founded in 2010 that takes in dogs and cats from public pounds, and the cafe opened in January 2018 to give cats with disabilities a better chance of adoption. The cats live in three rooms: one for healthy cats, one for cats with paralysis or injuries, and one for cats who are FIV positive. Visits are by reservation only, in one-hour slots from noon with a few groups a day, and each visitor is asked for a donation and receives a bottled drink and a cat treat; there is no food menu. Children under junior high school age must come with an adult. All cats can be adopted. The cafe is closed on Mondays and Thursdays.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Hyuga, Miyazaki

CoCo ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​⁠Nyan is a small rescue cat cafe in Sone, Hyuga, near Chiyoda Hospital, run alongside the eatery Coco Nomi Kuidokoro by a local cat rescuer. It opened in May 2019 as the first cat cafe in northern Miyazaki. Guests eat in the dining area and spend time with the cats in a separate play room with a clear door, so the cats can also be watched from the table. A handful of friendly rescued cats live there, and cats are rehomed to new families. Visits are charged per hour with a light meal, such as pancakes and coffee, included, and home-style dishes and lunch are also served. Opening days are irregular, so it is best to phone ahead before visiting. Parking is free.

• Adoptable cats