Cat Cafes in Nara

Kanmaki, Nara

Alley Cats Sanctuary Cafe is a reservation-only rescue cat cafe in a house in the Yoneyamadai residential area of Kanmaki, in Kitakatsuragi District west of Yamato-Takada. It presents itself as a sanctuary where rescued cats live out their lives, and visitors ring the intercom and are let in by staff, since the front door is kept locked to stop cats slipping out. A flat admission fee covers a stay of up to about three hours with free drinks and toys on loan, children pay the same rate, and a light meal of the day can be ordered. Wi-Fi is available, and the attached NecoWork co-working and study space lets people work among the cats. Socks are required. The cafe closes on Wednesdays and occasionally on other days for vet visits, with last entry an hour before closing, and evening visits can be arranged on request.

• Booking required

Ikoma, Nara

Cat Cafe &neco is a weekend-only cat cafe at the top of a hill in Kobiraocho, southern Ikoma, about five minutes on foot from Haginodai Station on the Kintetsu Ikoma Line. It has two parts: a cafe space where visitors can have coffee, lunch or sweets while watching the cats through a glass wall, and a separate cat room, charged on its own, where around ten adult cats, mostly mixed breeds, come up to play and be stroked. The tableware, cutlery and decor all follow a cat theme, and cat goods are sold. The cafe is open on Saturdays and Sundays from early afternoon, with last orders half an hour before closing, and monthly opening days are posted on Instagram. There are five parking spaces, so groups are asked to arrive in one car.

Nara

Cat Cafe Cocone is a Japanese-style cat cafe on the second floor of a building in Konishicho, central Nara, about four minutes on foot from Kintetsu Nara Station and close to the Higashimuki and Konishi shopping streets. The interior has a tatami room with low bamboo partitions, sofas and a shelf of manga, and more than 20 cats live here, many of them mature cats born between 2012 and 2018, along with a hairless sphynx. Visits are charged per 30 minutes, and a one-hour stay includes one drink, with higher rates on weekends and holidays. Cats may be stroked but not picked up, and visitors are asked not to chase them or use a flash. Children must be at least 8 years old. The cafe is open every day, with last entry an hour before closing, and payment is by cash or QR code apps, not credit card.

Yamatotakada, Nara

Cat Cafe SHANA is a small, homely cat cafe on the ground floor of a building in Kitahonmachi, Yamatotakada, about a minute on foot from Kintetsu Yamato-Takada Station. The room feels like a living room, with floor chairs and a kotatsu in winter, and seats around four groups at a time, so it suits visitors who prefer a quiet visit. Its calm, people-loving cats, some of them rescues, are known for settling on laps soon after guests sit down. Visits are charged by the hour with one drink included, and light meals such as sandwiches are available. Booking is possible, but walk-ins are welcome when there is space, and weekdays are usually quieter. The cafe is open until 8 PM, which makes it an option after work, and closes on Tuesdays.

Ikoma, Nara

DearCat is a rescue cat cafe in a residential building in Nishimatsugaoka, Ikoma, a short walk from Kintetsu Ikoma Station. The cafe is spread over three clean, spacious rooms where a changing group of rescued cats, from shy adults to playful youngsters and occasionally newborn kittens, waits for adoptive families, and a few friendly resident cats are happy to sit on laps. Visits are charged per hour with a drink included, first-time visitors pay a slightly higher rate, and treats can be bought for the cats. DearCat also runs a boarding service for cats, birds and small animals. Wheelchairs and strollers are welcome once their wheels have been disinfected at the entrance, and parking is available on weekends and holidays. The cafe opens on Tuesday, Wednesday and weekend afternoons, also opening on public holidays, and posts temporary closures on Instagram.

• Adoptable cats

Kashihara, Nara

Hogoneko Cafe Meenya is a rescue cat cafe in Nakazoshicho, in the Masuga area in the west of Kashihara. Its stylish, clean room is shared by a few resident cats and rescued cats looking for adoptive homes, and almost all of them are used to people, with several happy to roll over for a stroke or climb onto a lap. Cats may not be picked up. Visits are charged by time with a drink, multi-visit tickets are sold, and part of the takings supports the cafe's rescue work. Bookings get priority and are taken only by phone during opening hours. Visitors must be of elementary school age or older, children up to junior high school need a guardian, and socks are required. The cafe closes on Wednesdays and Fridays, and temporary closures or shorter hours are announced on Facebook and Instagram.

• Adoptable cats
• Booking recommended

Kashihara, Nara

Neko Kawaigari is a rescue cat cafe in a detached house in Ishiharadacho, Kashihara, about two minutes on foot from Kintetsu Miminashi Station, with parking for a few cars in front. It opened in January 2025, and the bright, high-ceilinged ground floor is usually busy with kittens under a year old in many coat colours, while the adult cats live upstairs and come down when they feel like it. All the cats are rescues looking for new homes, and adoption is open to anyone interested. Visits are charged per 30 minutes or per hour, with extensions available, and no booking is needed, though visitors may be asked to space out when it is busy. Socks are required, and tights or stockings are not allowed. The cafe usually opens Friday to Monday, and each month's opening days are posted on Instagram.

• Adoptable cats
• Walk-ins welcome

Nara

Neko Kissa Hanagoromo is a small cat cafe in Nishikitsujicho, Nara, about 10 minutes on foot from JR Nara Station, with one parking space. Its cherry-blossom-themed, Japanese-style room is home to around ten young, sociable cats, including Maine Coons, Somalis, long-haired Scottish Folds and mixes, several of them related as mothers and kittens. Courses run from 30 minutes to free time, stays of an hour or more include a drink, extensions are charged per 15 minutes, and children of elementary school age and under get a discount and must come with a guardian. Beer and chuhai are served alongside soft drinks. The cafe is also registered to sell cats and lists kittens for sale. It closes on Wednesdays and opens until 8 PM on weekends and holidays. Booking by phone is accepted but not required, and a Friday adult-only session with grown cats runs by reservation.

Tenri, Nara

Neko Manma is a rescue cat salon run by the volunteer group Team Neko Manma inside Tsumugu House, a community building in Kuranoshocho in the north of Tenri. The nearest station is Ichinomoto on the JR Manyo Mahoroba Line, 15 to 20 minutes on foot, and there is parking on site. The salon houses cats taken in from the street and from breeders, from kittens to adults, and visitors can spend time with them for an hourly admission fee whether or not they plan to adopt. Cats are rehomed after an application and screening, and the group also holds adoption events from time to time. Opening days are irregular, usually including Thursdays and weekends, and the schedule is posted on Instagram, so checking there or calling before a visit is recommended.

• Adoptable cats

Kashihara, Nara

Wafu Oke Neko Kissa, known as Okeneko, is a rescue and adoption cat cafe in Yagicho, Kashihara, about two minutes on foot from Yagi-Nishiguchi Station and a short walk from Yamato-Yagi Station. Opened in 2014, it is named after the wooden tubs (oke) the cats nap in. The cafe is the base of a rescue operation that has taken in more than 700 cats from the prefectural animal centre, other groups and the public and found homes for over 650 of them, so the cats on site are a changing group of friendly lap cats waiting for adoption after medical care. Visits are charged by time and no booking is needed, but calling ahead to check how busy it is is recommended. Drinks are no longer served, and socks must be worn (no tights). The cafe closes on Tuesdays, with last entry an hour before closing.

• Adoptable cats