Cat Cafes in Japan

Minami Alps, Yamanashi

Wan ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​​⁠Nyan Fureai Room is an adoption-focused rescue dog and cat room in a detached house in Terabe, Minami-Alps, run by the volunteer group Animal Rescue Tai. Opened in January 2015, it lets visitors spend time indoors with dogs and cats taken in from the authorities, including shy animals and ones with disabilities, in rooms with a loft and smaller side rooms; kittens are sometimes bottle-fed on site. All the animals have health checks, vaccinations and neutering and are looking for adoptive homes, and the group gives new owners advice on care. Entry is charged per 30 minutes or per hour, with extensions in 30-minute steps, and children of elementary school age and younger pay half price with a guardian. The room opens on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in the afternoon, by phone booking, and opening days can change, so checking the group's X account first is advised.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Kofu, Yamanashi

Nyan ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​​⁠Connect is an adoption-based rescue cat cafe and open shelter in Kamiishida, western Kofu, run by a local group that also does trap-neuter-return work. Visitors can spend time with rescued cats in the cafe and look into an open shelter space where other rescued cats live, to see rescue work up close. All the cats are looking for new families, and adoption consultations and interviews are held after cafe hours; new cats are listed for adoption and sent on trial regularly. Visits are charged per hour or two hours with extra 30-minute blocks, drinks and cat treats are sold separately, and the cafe works mainly by advance booking, though walk-ins are accepted on weekdays. Children up to upper elementary school age are not admitted to the shelter area. The cafe opens in the afternoon, with longer hours at weekends and occasional Tuesday evening sessions.

• Adoptable cats

Azumino, Nagano

Cats ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​⁠& Cafe Neko no Mori is a cat cafe, licensed since 2014, in Hotaka, Azumino, about five minutes by car from the Azumino interchange of the Nagano Expressway. Cats roam freely around the room, and visitors can play with them, stroke them and hold them; many of the residents are older, calm cats that spend much of the time asleep, with the occasional younger newcomer. Visits are charged by time, from up to an hour to over three hours, with lower rates for seniors over 65, school children and children aged three to five, and children under three are not admitted. Drinks such as coffee and tea can be ordered for a small extra charge, and payment is cash only. Phone and email bookings are not taken, though visitors can reserve a later time on the same day in person. The cafe is closed on Mondays and Thursdays.

• Walk-ins welcome

Kofu, Yamanashi

Le ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌⁠Chateau des Chats is an adoption-based rescue cat cafe on the second floor of a building in Yokonemachi, eastern Kofu, about 1.4 km from Sakaori Station on the JR Chuo Line, with a free car park behind the building. Run by a volunteer group, it usually has around ten rescued cats, from kittens to adults, that are very used to people: they greet visitors at the door, sit at the tables and gather round at treat time. All are looking for adoptive homes. Visits are charged by time, and the cafe serves drinks and light meals such as pasta, which guests eat with the cats nearby; cat treats are sold too. Donations from visitors go toward the cats' care and are reported each month. The cafe is closed on Tuesdays and opens slightly earlier at weekends and on Mondays.

• Adoptable cats

Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​⁠Cafe chouchou is a small cat cafe in Shin-Nishihara, Fujiyoshida, in the Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko area, offering a relaxed space where visitors can unwind in the same room as the resident cats. It is one of the newer cat cafes in the Fuji Five Lakes area, with its first visitors in the summer of 2026. The cats include a number of fluffy long-haired cats and short-legged cats, and coffee and other drinks are served while visitors spend time with them. The cafe welcomes families, has Wi-Fi and free on-site parking, and accepts credit cards. It opens from noon to 7 PM every day except Tuesday. Prices, age rules and the number of cats are best confirmed by phone before making a special trip.

Komoro, Nagano

Cafe ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​⁠Guardian is a cafe with five resident cats in Mikage-shinden, Komoro, not far from Karuizawa, easy to spot by the cat-shaped weathervane on its triangular roof. It describes itself as a cafe with cats rather than a cat cafe: there is no cat room or entry fee, and the cats roam freely through the high-ceilinged dining room with its wood stove and hammock chairs, greeting guests, sitting on tables and napping beside them, while the owner shares stories about each one. The cats, including the black-and-white Kuro-hime, also star in the owner's cat comic. The menu has lunches such as pasta, risotto and curry, and cat-shaped desserts including an apple pie made with Komoro apples. The cafe has free parking and Wi-Fi, takes reservations, and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Shiojiri, Nagano

Mofumofu ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌⁠Shiojiri is a permanent rescue cat adoption space inside the Watahan home centre in Hirooka, Shiojiri, run by Mofumofudo, the Matsumoto rescue group behind Neko Cafe Mofumofu. It is the first such space in a Watahan store and was set up so that people curious about rescue cats can meet them on an ordinary shopping trip rather than at a one-off adoption event. Rescued cats live in the space, and visitors can go in to stroke and play with them, with a regular treat time when the cats' health allows. All the cats are looking for adoptive homes, and adoption follows the group's own process, with staff explaining rescue work to visitors. The space also stocks pet food. It opens from 11 AM to 3 PM and is closed on Mondays; its days and hours differ from the store's and from the Matsumoto cafe.

• Adoptable cats

Ina, Nagano

Stray ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌⁠Cats is a small rescue cat cafe by the Takato bus station in Takato, Ina, the castle town known for its cherry blossoms. Registered as a cat exhibition business since 2012, it keeps its rescued cats in a separate cat room at the back of the building, where around a dozen cats of different ages and temperaments live, from friendly lap cats to shy ones still getting used to people. All of them are looking for adoptive homes, and the current list is posted on the cafe's blog. Entry to the cat room is a flat fee with no time limit; food is no longer served, but visitors may bring drinks, read the manga on the shelves and buy cat goods. The cafe is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays except public holidays and is open long hours on the other days.

• Adoptable cats

Toyama

Tsukineko ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​​⁠Cafe is an adoption-focused rescue cat cafe in Nakanunome, in the southern part of Toyama City, set in a Japanese house more than 100 years old with tatami rooms, a fireplace and a large garden. Opened in June 2017, it specialises in adult cats that have lost their homes, often because their owners could no longer keep them, and the cats can be adopted by suitable families. Visits are charged in 60, 120 or 180-minute courses, and each includes a drink handed over to take away rather than drunk in the cat room. Bookings, including same-day bookings, are accepted, last entry is at 3:45 PM during the current shortened hours, socks are required, and the cafe is for junior high school students and older. It opens on Saturdays and Sundays, and the monthly schedule, including closures for adoption events, is posted on its website. Parking is available.

• Adoptable cats

Toyama

Nekoyasumi ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​⁠is a small adoption-focused rescue cat cafe run from a private home in Horikawahongo, a residential area of Toyama City, alongside the Cherish dog grooming salon. Nine resident cats, all former rescues, live here with cats waiting for new families, and visitors who wish to adopt can apply under the cafe's own conditions. Visits are by reservation only, with room for six people, and groups usually have the room to themselves, so the cats stay relaxed. Staff explain each cat's character and how to handle them at the start. Drinks such as cafe mocha and matcha latte are served, but feeding treats is not allowed for health reasons, and socks and masks are required. Visitors must be of elementary school age or older. The cafe opens Friday to Monday with last entry at 4:45 PM, and also offers boarding for pet cats.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking required

Fukui

Shiawase ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌⁠Nyan-chi is an adoption-focused rescue cat cafe in Sakaecho, Fukui, about one minute on foot from JR Morita Station. It is run by a non-profit group of the same name that has rescued about 700 cats since 2018 and found homes for more than 560 of them. In August 2023 the cafe moved into a larger purpose-built building with a shelter attached, and the group now cares for 70 to 90 cats, with many young cats in the cafe room. Visits are charged per 30 minutes, per hour or as free time with a drink, there is a plan for families with children, and treats can be added. Socks are required, and first-time visitors read the house rules at reception. Closing days are irregular and the cafe may close at short notice for cat health or snow, so calling ahead is advised. The group also runs a pet-friendly guesthouse.

• Adoptable cats

Katsuyama, Fukui

Cat ⁠‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌⁠Village is a small cat cafe in Muroko, Katsuyama, in eastern Fukui, near the Mizubasho hot spring centre and next to the Mizubasho-iriguchi bus stop. It began when the owners rescued four newborn kittens, and it now calls itself a cafe for older cats, with about ten resident cats, most of them former strays or abandoned cats, living in a wooden house with high ceilings. Rescued kittens and adult cats looking for homes can also be met here, and a two-day trial stay is offered to people considering adoption. Visits are charged per hour with treats included, children come with a guardian, and extra treats can be bought. Last entry is at 4:30 PM, and booking ahead is recommended as the cafe is run by one person and may close at short notice. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and also offers boarding for pet cats.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended