Because sometimes you just need a furry friend – or a cute and friendly animal you can watch
Tokyo is famous for its many animal cafés. The original concept started with cat cafés, but has slowly expanded to accommodate a wide range of pets and other animals.
It’s reasonable to have ethical concerns about these places, so we’ve filled our list only with cafés that prioritise the well-being of the animals, with no (or very few) cages and enough space for the critters to move around.
Other important factors in our selection were whether the animals seemed stressed out by their surroundings and whether they were given break time without people petting them.
Here’s a list of our top pet cafés in Tokyo, ranging from the ubiquitous cats to reptiles and owls. Note that pet venues either have a cover charge or require one drink order.
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Meet the resident capybara Tawashi and his feline friends at this peculiar animal café just a one-minute walk from Kichijoji Station’s south exit. The South American native animal is here to bring overloading cuteness and unlimited cuddles with eight or nine other cats to your stressful day. Many of the cats here are up for adoption, so let the staff know if you’re interested in giving them a permanent home.
¥2,800 per hour (primary school students ¥1,500). Reservations required
Located on Harajuku's iconic Takeshita-dori, this café is home to Mame Shiba Inu, a smaller version of Japan's popular Shiba Inu dog. The homely, traditional atmosphere of the café, with tatami flooring and low dining tables, makes this experience even more unique, since it feels like playing with these tiny cuties in a regular Japanese home instead of a café located on one of Tokyo's most bustling streets.
The entry fee covers entrance, a drink and a time slot of 30 minutes with your favourite furry friend. Get there early to avoid long queues.
Cover charge: ¥1000 per 30 minutes, primary school students ¥700 per 30 minutes (one drink included). Note that children aged 5 and younger are not allowed to enter.
Relaxing with little hedgehogs is high on many a traveller's Tokyo must-do list, and this new Shibuya spot adds to the selection of cafés offering that very opportunity. At ChikuChiku Cafe you can feed, touch and take photos with the little cuties under the guidance of the staff. The furry friends totter around in environments modelled on bathrooms, classrooms and Japanese-style tatami rooms – it's like a collection of doll houses for hedgehogs.
Cover charge: ¥1,430/30min, ¥2,640/60min
This charming cat café introduces you to a whole new level of cuteness. Located within the themed shopping and food ‘village’ Kichijouji Petit Mura, the facade looks like the castle of a magical cat-kingdom straight from a book of fairy tales.
A selection of 22 cats are around for you to adore, and offer highly Instagrammable photo opportunities, especially at feeding time. When it comes to snacks, the smart money’s on the tasty parfaits garnished with cute cat-shaped cookies.
Weekday cover charge ¥1,540, or ¥1,100 from 7pm (children aged 10 and younger ¥1,100, or ¥770 from 7pm). Saturday, Sunday and holidays ¥1,980; or ¥1,320 from 7pm (¥1,430, ¥990 from 7pm)
You should only visit a dog café if you truly love dogs. You need to love that they will climb on your lap and lick your iPhone and make your hands smell like dog and fight over bones and possibly do their business on the floor right in front of you. If you’re visiting Dog Heart, in particular, you should also love toy poodles since they make up the majority of the pups here (there was also one beagle in the mix when we visited).
Like many animal cafés, the café section is not a big feature of the place – it’s hidden at the back and only as we were leaving did we notice the table and chairs peeking out. But that’s okay, since your main reason for visiting will be to make friends with the friendly dogs. We only stayed for 30 minutes, but you can also rent one of the dogs for an hour and take them for a walk to nearby Yoyogi Park. Either way, it’s bound to lift your mood, as dogs do.
Cover charge: ¥1,300/30min, primary school students and younger children ¥1,000/30 min, ¥1,600 (¥1,300)/45 min, ¥1,900 (¥1,600)/60 min, one-hour dog rental from ¥3,600
After its range of cats, owls and hedgehogs, Tokyo came up with an even more bizarre addition to its super popular series of animal cafés. At this spot in Meguro, you can cuddle with adorable miniature piggies in a cheerful and homely ambience. Pet and play with the tiny cuties on three different floors while sipping on a cup of tea or coffee (one drink order required, from ¥660).
Cover charge ¥770 plus ¥1,100 per 30minutes' stay. Tickets to be booked in advance.
A very colourful, flapping affair greets you when you walk up to the entrance of Kotori Café in Ueno. There's no cover charge, but you'll be expected to order at least one drink, and your visit will be limited to an hour when it's busy.
The birds are chirping away while you sip your coffee, and are of a startling variety: everything from the slightly larger white cuckatoo named Taichi and a mid-sized parrot to rosy-faced lovebirds and technicoloured canaries make an appearance. For those who want a small petting session, the café offers five-minute options as well (¥550).
No cover charge but you have to order a drink (all ¥770).
Lovers of small, cute cats, beware: you might not want to leave this place. We wandered around for over an hour and still didn't want to leave the little ones. MoCHA's interior looks as if it was designed with the cats' well-being in mind, with lots of perches, hideouts and even small alcoves through which they can run to the staff room if the attention just gets a bit too much.
We went there on an early Thursday afternoon, and although there were a reasonable amount of people, the two floors and ample seating space meant it was never cramped. With the ¥220 per ten minute extension price tag, the flow of people also changes – office workers popping by for half an hour during their lunch break and locals who just want to while away the afternoon. Nab a seat in one of the hanging chairs or on one of the couches downstairs for some of the best petting action.
Weekday cover charge ¥1,078 per 30 minures, Saturday, Sunday and holidays ¥1,210 per 30 minutes. One drink order required, ¥385. Note that children aged 5 and younger are not allowed to enter.
Tucked away on the eighth floor of a Harajuku multi-use building is the Snake Center, home to a slithering collection of serpents, all very well trained and non-poisonous. Pay ¥1,650 at the counter for entrance (one drink included) and pick a snake of your choice to hang out with. You can spend a few hours nibbling on cake and sipping coffee while your reptilian friend observes you from the safety of its transparent box.
Cover charge ¥1,650 (inclusive of one drink)
Even just arriving at Temari no Ouchi, it's clear that this isn't your average cat café. The doors are shaped in a fairytale-esque arch, and as soon as you step inside you're transported into a cat-filled world. There's plenty of space for the cats to run around or nap, and they can always retreat to the back of the room, where there's a (cage-less) staff section. The menu features a variety of drinks (everything from coffee to cocktails) and food – the snacks and cakes are quite popular.
Cover charge: ¥1,540; from 7pm ¥1,100 (children aged 10 and younger ¥1,100; from 7pm ¥770), Sat, Sun & hols ¥1980; from 7pm ¥1,320 (¥1,430; from 7pm ¥990)
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