Cat Cafes in Japan

Maebashi, Gunma

ONEPET ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​​‌⁠Maebashi combines a grooming salon with a rescue dog and cat cafe on the ground floor of the Maebashi Lilica building in Kokuryomachi, Maebashi, with its own entrance on the outside of the building facing Route 17. Visitors can move between a room of rescued cats and a room of rescued dogs, and the cats include kittens and adults that are used to people and readily come over to be stroked or sit on laps. The animals are looking for new homes, and adoption can be discussed with staff. Visits are charged per hour at modest rates, with half price for children aged three to 12 and free entry for younger children, and payment is by card or cashless apps rather than cash. The business is also a welfare workplace where people with disabilities assist with grooming and care. It is open every day.

• Adoptable cats

Takasaki, Gunma

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌​​‌⁠Café MOFF Takasaki OPA is a cat cafe on the fourth floor of the Takasaki OPA shopping centre, linked directly to the west exit deck of JR Takasaki Station, renewed as a cat-only cafe in July 2025. Around 25 cats of various breeds live here, and the cafe aims to help visitors notice cat behaviour and habits they may not have seen before. Entry is charged for the first 30 minutes and then in 10-minute steps, with a daily maximum, and each visitor orders one drink; drinks can come with cat latte art, and cat treats are available. No reservation is needed. Children aged three and under enter free, and elementary school children must come with a paying adult. Strollers and wheelchairs can enter. It is open every day except Takasaki OPA closing days, with last entry 30 minutes before closing.

• Walk-ins welcome

Nikko, Tochigi

Hidamari ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌⁠Neko Sabou is a breeder-run cat cafe in Dosawa, in the Imaichi area of Nikko. Many cats live here, including breeds such as Maine Coons, and there are often kittens; kittens bred by the owners are sold, and some cats are also offered for adoption. Visitors spend time with the cats in a relaxed, old Japanese house-style lounge with toys provided, ordering one drink with their visit, and at opening time the cats tend to pour out of their sleeping holes to greet the first guests, so arriving early is recommended. Socks must be worn, and visitors are not allowed to feed the cats treats. Reservations can be made by phone but are not required. The business also runs a pet hotel for dogs and cats. The cafe is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with last entry an hour before closing.

• Adoptable cats

Nasushiobara, Tochigi

Akasawa ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​⁠Neko Cafe & Dining is a rescue cat cafe in a two-storey house with cat ears on its roof in Nakashiobara, in the Shiobara Onsen area of Nasushiobara, about 10 minutes on foot from the Akasawa Onsen Ryokan inn that runs it. Friendly rescued cats and kittens live in a spacious, open interior with separate areas for play and rest, and some cats have already gone to new homes from here. Visits are charged per hour with tea included, and extensions are charged in 10-minute steps; guests staying at the inn get two hours for the price of one. The cafe opened in 2026 and is in a pre-opening period, open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays around midday, and it may open at other times or stay later on request, so calling ahead is recommended. It makes an easy break during a Shiobara hot spring trip.

• Adoptable cats

Otawara, Tochigi

Owl ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​⁠Cafe Ricky Tochigi is a multi-animal cafe and pet shop inside the Don Quijote discount store in Kajiya, Otawara, run by the Ricky exotic pet chain from Tohoku. Alongside owls, visitors can handle cockatiels, chinchillas, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, lizards and snakes, and there is a cat and dog corner with friendly kittens, adult cats and puppies that can be stroked and held. Animals here are sold, and some visitors have taken cats home from the shop. Visits are charged by time, with a free-time option for longer stays; no food or drinks are served. Staff explain how to handle each animal. The shop opens in the afternoon and is closed on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Maebashi, Gunma

Maebashi ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌⁠Fureai Zoo & Dog and Cat Adoption Center is an indoor petting zoo in Mitsumatamachi, Maebashi, about eight minutes on foot from Joto Station on the Jomo Electric Railway. Besides a room of cats and an area of dogs that are looking for new homes, it keeps rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, chinchillas, hedgehogs, meerkats, a mara, tortoises, owls, goats, reptiles and exotic mammals such as palm civets, and most of the animals can be touched. The cats and dogs can be adopted after a consultation with staff, with conditions and fees set by the centre. Admission is a flat fee with no time limit, a little higher on weekends and holidays, and visiting only the dog area is free. Being indoors, it works in any weather. It is open every day from 10 AM to 7 PM.

• Adoptable cats

Kiryu, Gunma

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌⁠no Heya is a rescue cat house in a residential area of Hishimachi, in the east of Kiryu, where an ordinary detached house has been turned over entirely to rescued cats. Run by a local rescue group active since 2017, it has housed around 50 cats, with larger adult cats downstairs and a kitten room upstairs, and there are usually kittens as well as cats with disabilities, including blind cats. Visitors can stroke and play with the cats, which are used to being handled, and staff explain adoption fees and conditions to anyone hoping to give a cat a home. Visits are charged per 30 minutes with one drink included, and extensions are charged in shorter steps; no food is served. From outside it looks like a regular house, and parking is limited to a few spaces on the property. It is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

• Adoptable cats

Midori, Gunma

Nomikun-chi ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌⁠is a small farm cafe with a cat room in Kasakakecho Kugu, Midori, between Kiryu and Ota. The cat room is reached separately from the cafe, so guests who are not comfortable with cats can still eat there, and there is also a private room where visitors can lie down and nap with the cats. The resident cats have included four black sibling cats that were still young and very playful, preferring to chase toys rather than be held. Vegetables served in the cafe are grown without pesticides on the owners' own farm, and the menu includes lunch sets with brown rice onigiri, pasta and hand pizzas, homemade yoghurt, seasonal sweets and herbal, quince and fruit drinks, though no coffee. The cafe opens on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

Nakanojo, Gunma

Kagineko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​⁠no Shippo is a small cat cafe in Nakanojo, a hot spring and arts town in the Agatsuma area of northwest Gunma, about 10 minutes on foot from JR Nakanojo Station on the Agatsuma Line. It opened in May 2026 in the premises of a former cafe, and combines a cafe menu with a space where visitors can play with the resident cats, with seasonal drinks such as cream soda served in summer. The building is in a residential area that car navigation may struggle with, so the cafe posts walking directions from the station; there is parking for about three cars. It opens on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 11 AM to 4 PM, and occasional closures are announced in a monthly calendar on its Instagram account, which is worth checking before a visit.

Shinto, Gunma

Cafe ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌⁠L'arc en chats is an adoption-focused rescue cat cafe in Nagaoka, in the village of Shinto at the foot of Mount Haruna, surrounded by fields and countryside views. Its name is a French coinage meaning cat's arch, reflecting its aim of being a bridge between rescued cats and new families. Cats taken in for various reasons live in the cafe while they wait for adoption, and visitors who simply want to spend time with them are also welcome. All visits are by reservation, made by phone with the arrival time and choice of food or drink, and every guest orders at least a drink. The cafe serves home-style lunches, including a Japanese set meal, along with cat-shaped cookies and drinks. It opens on selected days, usually from late morning to around 4 PM, listed in a monthly calendar on its website.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Maebashi, Gunma

Marshmallow ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​⁠Panda is a multi-animal cafe and pet shop in Kawaramachi, in the north of Maebashi. One hourly fee covers five areas: a cat room where relaxed adult cats roam freely and greet visitors, a dog area set up like an indoor dog run, a small-animal room with rabbits, hedgehogs, ferrets and chinchillas, an owl corner and a reptile room. A separate kitten room, charged extra, lets visitors hold kittens on their laps. Some of the animals, including kittens and puppies, are for sale, and purchases can be discussed without paying the cafe fee. Canned drinks and snacks from a drink bar are included. Children under three enter free and reservations are not needed. It opens in the afternoon on weekdays and earlier on weekends and holidays, and is closed on Wednesdays unless they fall on a public holiday.

• Walk-ins welcome

Shizuoka

Neko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​⁠Yado-cho is an adoption-focused rescue cat cafe on the third floor of a building in Shichikencho, in central Shizuoka's Aoi Ward. It is run by An Animal Hospital and opened in February 2020. The interior is styled as a traditional Japanese house, with an engawa veranda and an irori hearth, and most of the cats are young rescues taken in from public shelters, so the cafe often has many kittens. Cats that visitors like can be adopted under the hospital's conditions. Visits combine an entry fee with a charge per 30 minutes, with free drinks included, and a weekday free-time option is offered. Children of junior high school age and under must come with someone of high school age or older. Bookings by phone are given priority. Weekend hours include a midday break, and there is no parking.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended