The emphasis is on hands-on interaction with dozens of lively birds at this basement cafe in touristy Asakusa. The cafe offers two very different experiences: a quiet moment with ten sleepy owls, and absolute bedlam with a flock of noisy,...

This owl cafe in the center of Akihabara has a unique atmosphere - more like a theme-park attraction than an animal cafe. From the outside it looks like a repurposed downtown office, but inside it's a fantasy world of sleepy owls, crystal...

The star attraction at the new branch of Castle of Owls, which opened in Harajuku on September 2015, is a little owl called Bolt. After his lunch of raw quail meat, Bolt likes to take a little siesta. Unlike the other owls who sleep standing on one...

Following the trend of diversifying the population of animal cafes, Forest of Owls features meerkats, snakes, parrots and other small animals in addition to owls. Because of the cafe's setup, though, with just one big room where some of the owls...

While the cats and kittens here are well taken care of by the solicitous staff, Nekoya also goes out of its way to make human visitors welcome, with comfortable massage chairs, a big library of manga to read, and free WiFi. There's plenty of room...

Neighborhood cat cafes like this one have a different feel from establishments in bustling shopping zones like Ikebukuro or Harajuku. The cats here seem friendlier and less jaded, and visitors include more regular customers who have gotten to know...

Nyankoto has some of the prettiest cats in town - all thirteen of the residents have impressive pedigrees, and the two frisky Exotic Shorthair kittens are especially cute. The little booklet introducing the cats by name also lists an unusual...

Typical of Tokyo's second wave of cat cafes, Temari no Ouchi strives to create a destination "relaxation space" rather than just a place to play with cats for thirty minutes. It bills itself as a "forest of wondrous cats" and the fairtytale decor...

Advertised as Japan's first Italian cat cafe, Yadorigi serves Italian food and coffee as well as wine, craft beer and cat-themed cocktails. They're a rescue-cat cafe, so most of the dozen or so resident cats (numbers may vary) are ready for...

Yahoneko is one of the liveliest cat cafes we've seen in Tokyo, with a spacious playroom that's well designed to keep the 28 resident cats entertained and happy. Besides the usual cat shelves, climbing equipment and cat tunnels there's also a giant...

A sister shop of the popular Temari no Ouchi cat cafe (located just around the corner), this second branch sports a similarly fanciful Ghibli-esque decor, and is a relaxing spot to spend some time with cats. Unlike most cat cafes there's no time...

This local rescue-cat cafe has a roomful of friendly cats and a very proactive staff who spend a lot of energy keeping them entertained. We were lucky enough to be there when the staff gave out cat treats for the visitors to dispense. Rather than...

It isn't every day that we get invited to a cat's birthday party, so when the staff told us that one of the residents was having a celebration, we knew we had to check it out. It was a surprisingly elaborate affair, with special decorations,...

This rescue-cat cafe had around ten cats in residence when we visited, although the number may vary depending on new arrivals and adoptions. Some of these former stray cats are still shy around people, and one of the goals of the cafe is to...

When we visited in Autumn 2017 the playroom here was full of tiny kittens play-fighting and chasing each other around, making for a very energetic cat-cafe experience. The seventeen resident cats also include some beautiful and exotic breeds to...

With its prime location overlooking JR Harajuku station, this newest branch of the Mocha cafe chain packs in the crowds, including a good number of overseas tourists. The playroom is fairly compact, but there's plenty of comfortable seating and a...

It isn't the biggest or the most populous cat cafe in town, but the vivacious and outgoing proprietor helps make Nekoen (Cat Park) a comfortable spot to hang out for an hour. And it doesn't hurt that they serve alcohol, so you can treat the place...

Located just behind Sanrio Puroland theme park, this spacious cat cafe is popular with families with small children, especially on weekends. As with most suburban cafes, the resident cats tend to be more outgoing and less jaded here, so don't be...

This cat cafe in the heart of tourist-filled Asakusa has a limited number of cats - eight at last count - but the staff seem to be good at keeping them engaged with various cat toys and other entertainment. The playroom is nicely furnished with...

Occupying the top two floors of a modern nine-story building in the middle of Shibuya, Mocha is quite attractively decorated and comfortably furnished, and offers nice panoramic views of the surrounding area. All in all, it's probably the most...

There are twenty-six feline residents - several of them rescue cats from a local shelter - at this conveniently located cafe just around the corner from Ueno station. The playroom is furnished with climbing trees, lots of empty boxes to explore,...

"Hand of the Cat" is one of the most casual cat cafes we've ever been. When we asked how many animals were in residence, we were told the number was around fifteen or twenty, as if it was simply impossible to keep an accurate count. And indeed...

This second Harajuku outlet of the popular cat-cafe chain is one of the only branches that allows young children, so it tends to be popular with younger visitors and their families as well as the usual crowd of cat fanciers. It has a very relaxed...

Located overlooking West Ikebukuro Gate Park, this cat cafe is a little oasis of relaxation in the heart of the city. As soon as you climb the stairs to the third floor and enter the cafe, the warm natural wood decor and cool instrumental jazz...

One of the early pioneers in Tokyo's cat-cafe world, Calico roughly doubled in size when they moved to larger quarters in 2016, providing a more comfortable setting for both cats and visitors. There are now two rather large playrooms - one of them...

Meooow is a rescue-cat cafe, so all the cats here are adoptable, and indeed there are two portrait galleries on the cafe wall, one for current residents and one for previous graduates. Located in the middle of a residential neighborhood, the cafe...

JaLaLa distinguish themselves within the competitive cat-cafe world with their choice of exotic breeds such as Abyssinians and Maine Coons - seventeen in all, including some of the largest housecats we've ever encountered. The long-running shop...

Whoever was responsible for the interior design for "Nyafe Melange" has clearly discovered the secret to a successful cat cafe - providing lots and lots of different places to sit, perch, and nap. At first glance it looks like an ordinary living...

[Update: closed] The name translates as "rest spot where there are cats," and this pretty accurately describes the operation here, much better than just calling it a cat cafe. It's a big sprawling room full of people (there were over forty...

With ten branches and counting, this popular chain knows how to deliver a cat-cafe experience to a mass audience. This particular branch seems even larger than average, with plenty of seating so that it doesn't seem crowded even when there are a...

Run by a cat-welfare organization, Neko no Mise is a pleasant and reasonably priced place to drop by for a short coffee break or a relaxing afternoon. There are plenty of comfortable seats in the spacious playroom, and the cover charge is...

Rio has a large playroom full of cute puppies, and since the admission charge is incremented in ten-minute intervals, it's easy to just drop in for a quick visit. Maybe because of the cafe's popularity, the pups seem to be a bit more jaded than...

A pack of happy, tail-wagging pups greeted us in boisterous fashion upon our arrival at Dog Heart, letting us know that we'd be in for a lively afternoon at one of Tokyo's more gregarious animal cafes. Unlike the often reserved residents of your...

This multi-species pet cafe promises to be fun for the whole family, and indeed the visitors here range from young kids to senior citizens. The staff seem to enjoy their jobs, and they go out of their way to introduce the various resident animals...

A pair of rather cute goats, living in a pen in front of the shop, are one of the main draws at this lively neighborhood cafe. The interior is spacious, filled with mismatched, comfortable chairs and battered tables, and the soundtrack tends...

You can get a milk snake to go with your iced coffee and cake at Tokyo Snake Center, a new animal cafe in the young fashion district of Harajuku, Tokyo, that opened in August 2015. As you enter, you'll find a dozen colorful snakes in clear...

Lizards, tortoises, snakes and other reptiles - plus the odd amphibian - are the main attraction at this charming animal cafe. While most of the animals are confined to tanks or cages, several giant tortoises cavort around a large play area, where...

One of a chain of multi-species animal cafes, this branch of Moff is the smallest, and the only one without a cat room. It's also probably the least interesting in terms of animal interactions - the parakeets in the small-bird room will perch on...

The goal of this second branch of the popular Meguro mini-pig cafe is to create a "Three Little Pigs" picture-book experience, so be prepared. Like their original branch, the shop is set up as a place to play with friendly piglets while you drink...

Mipig is a cafe where you can hang out with cute baby pigs. They're friendly and curious, and they wag their tails just like puppies. You can pet them when they sit in your lap and they make cute snorting noises. Really, what more do you need to...