What is cat cafe ?
"Cat cafe" is a place where people can have drink or refreshment watching cats. In Japan it's called "Neko cafe". The business model flourished first in Japan and then all over the world, like in Europe, United States, Canada, to name a few. As of 2019, there are well over 300 cat cafes in Japan.
Service fee
There are several service fee styles. Following are the most frequent examples.
- Pay-by-the-hour feeHourly fee is predetermined
- Unlimited hour feeYou can stay as long as you want
- In-between feeSeveral hours' fee is predetermined. Usually for two to three hours.
Etiquette Tips
Following are the general rules in cat cafe. If you don't abide by these rules, cafe may refuse service legally.
- No drunk
- No smoking
- No camera flash
- Disinfect your hands with alcohol before entry
- Do not cuddle cats forcibly
- Do not chase cats
- Do not yell
- Do not feed cats without permission
- Do not touch cats while they're eating
- Do not hold a paticular cat for a long period of time
- Do not disturb sleeping cats
- If you have cat allergy, no medical support will be given
- Even if you are scratched, cafe is not liable for the injury
Cat cafe FAQs
Here are some FAQs about cat cafe.
Can I bring food ?
That depends.
If the cafe has food menus, you may not.
Do I need to order something ?
Usually, NO
One drink is usually included in the cover charge, and no more order is required.
Do they accept a child ?
That depends.
Generally, children can't hold back their desire to chase cats or yell in a strident voice. Many other customers find it off-putting. So some cafes have "no child policy".
Do they accept foreign travellers ?
Most of the time, YES
But a few cafes have guest policy. Often times it's based on the past experience of misbehaviour. You might as well ask the business owner beforehand.
Can I take pictures ?
Usually, YES
But you can't take pictures of other people for privacy reasons. Plus, never use camera flash. It damages cat's retina.
What is "free time" ?
Misnomer for "unlimited time"
Almost all the cafes in Japan use this weird wording "free time". It doesn't mean "free of charge", but simply means "you can stay as long as you want".
Why do I need socks ?
For prophylactic reason.
There are several fungi which are transmitted via our foot sole, namely Athlete's foot.
Why no purfume, no deodorant ?
For cats' welfare and health.
Cats do not like synthetic pungent smell.
Where can I find a cat cafe ?
Here's the list
You can find the nearest cat cafe in CAT CAFE IN JAPAN COMPLETE LIST. Chinese caracter for each prefecture and its pronunciation are below.
- 北海道→hokkaido
- 青森→aomori
- 秋田→akita
- 岩手→iwate
- 宮城→miyagi
- 山形→yamagata
- 福島→fukushima
- 富山→toyama
- 石川→ishikawa
- 福井→fukui
- 新潟→niigata
- 東京→tokyo
- 神奈川→kanagawa
- 埼玉→saitama
- 群馬→gunma
- 茨城→ibaraki
- 千葉→chiba
- 栃木→tochigi
- 静岡→shizuoka
- 三重→mie
- 愛知→aichi
- 長野→nagano
- 岐阜→gifu
- 山梨→yamanashi
- 大阪→oosaka
- 京都→kyoto
- 兵庫→hyougo
- 奈良→nara
- 和歌山→wakayama
- 滋賀→shiga
- 岡山→okayama
- 広島→hiroshima
- 鳥取→tottori
- 山口→yamaguchi
- 島根→shimane
- 香川→kagawa
- 徳島→tokushima
- 高知→kouchi
- 愛媛→ehime
- 福岡→fukuoka
- 大分→ooita
- 長崎→nagasaki
- 宮崎→miyazaki
- 熊本→kumamoto
- 佐賀→saga
- 鹿児島→kagoshima
- 沖縄→okinawa
For example, if you're visiting Tokyo, see the list which include the chinese character "東京".
