Cat Cafes in Ota, Tokyo

Ota, Tokyo

Nyankuru Kamata is an adoption cat cafe in Nishikamata, Ota, two minutes on foot from the west exit of JR Kamata Station and ten minutes from Keikyu Kamata Station. Opened in October 2016, it was the first Tokyo branch of the Neko Cafe Leon and Nyankuru group, which began in Yokohama in 2008 and has rehomed more than 2,500 cats. The resident cats, more than a dozen at a time, are rescues from the Yamanashi group Little Cats, and every one of them is looking for a home; adoptions follow a short screening by the cafe and the rescue group. Visits are charged for the first 30 minutes with a drink, then in 10-minute steps, and longer set plans and free-time passes are available. No reservation is needed. On weekdays the cafe closes for an hour at lunchtime. It also runs a cat-only pet hotel.

• Adoptable cats

Ota, Tokyo

MonNEKO is a rescue cat facility in Ikegami, Ota, about eight minutes on foot from Ikegami Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line, in the temple town of Ikegami. Its name plays on the Japanese word for gate, and the space is set up so visitors can sit with rescued cats and kittens that are waiting for adoptive families. Anyone may visit, whether or not they plan to adopt, and people interested in giving a cat a home can apply through the facility. Entry is a flat fee per visit, with a lower rate for children; elementary school children enter free on weekdays, and visitors must be at least three years old and accompanied by a guardian. Payment is cash only, and visitors are asked to wear socks, and capped soft drinks are allowed. It is closed on Mondays, or on Tuesday when Monday is a public holiday.

• Adoptable cats

Ota, Tokyo

NPO smile cat is a nonprofit rescue cat shelter in Kitasenzoku, Ota, about five minutes on foot from Senzoku Station on the Tokyu Meguro Line. The shelter is open to the public on set days, and visitors can spend time in the cat room with rescued cats of all ages, from young kittens to senior cats, most of them Japanese mixes, while they wait for adoptive families. There is no entry fee; instead each visitor is asked to make a small donation toward the shelter's work. Visits last 30 minutes, timed with a timer handed out at reception, and the last entry is an hour before closing. Shoes are swapped for slippers, and outside food, toys and flash photography are not allowed. Adoptions go through the group's own application process, and it also holds regular adoption events and runs a small support shop. It is closed on Mondays and Thursdays.

• Adoptable cats