Cat Cafes in Nagano

Matsumoto, Nagano

Cat Cafe Coorikuya Matsumoto is a branch of the Coorikuya cat cafe chain on the second floor of the Coo&RIKU pet shop in Muraimachi-kita, southern Matsumoto, about 14 minutes on foot from Hirata Station on the JR Shinonoi Line and seven minutes by car from the Shiojiri-kita interchange. Its room is home to a group of resident cats, mostly pedigree breeds, that visitors can play with, stroke and feed with treats bought on site. Visits are charged per 30 minutes, per hour or as a free-time pass, with an all-you-can-drink drink bar included, and Wi-Fi and power outlets are free. Children under three enter free, and children below junior high school age must come with an adult relative. The pet shop downstairs sells puppies and kittens. The cafe opens an hour earlier on weekends and holidays, and last entry is at 7:30 PM.

Miyota, Nagano

Nyaon is an adoption-based rescue cat cafe in Shiono, Miyota, on the Asama Sunline road between Komoro and Karuizawa. Opened in November 2024 in a renovated Showa-era family house, it aims to feel like visiting a friend's home with cats. Around seven rescued cats, many of them former strays taken in by the owner or reported by local residents, live in the cat room, and all are looking for adoptive homes. Visits are charged per 30 minutes with one drink included, paid on leaving, and extensions are charged in 30-minute steps; cat treats cost extra. Ten percent of the cat room fee is donated to animal welfare groups in the Toshin area to pay for neutering stray cats and for shelter running costs. Coffee comes from a Karuizawa roaster. The cafe is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and may close at short notice if a cat is unwell.

• 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

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