Maneki Machiya Cat Café

Enjoy a Sunday afternoon with our rescue kitties in a quaint Kyoto machiya.

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A fun and inviting space to…

relax.

In the healing atmosphere of a traditional Japanese-style machiya, surround yourself with our friendly and adoptable rescue kitties while enjoying a cup of tea or coffee.
play.

Our kitties love to play! We have cat toys and treats prepared for you to play with and pamper our cats to your heart’s content.
learn.

Our staff will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about cat rescue and care in Japan.

More about us

Maneki Machiya Cat Café is a Japan Cat Network partner organization whose aim is to connect the public with JCN’s rescue cats and raise awareness about animal welfare issues both here in Japan and abroad.

A portion of Maneki Machiya Cat Café’s proceeds go toward JCN (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), and toward providing JCN’s rescue cats with the best life possible while they wait for their forever homes.

We are located in a charming Kyoto neighborhood, inside a machiya house on a lovely street of other machiya houses. Guests will have the pleasure of interacting with friendly rescued cats (and sometimes kittens) in a comfortable relaxing environment.

We hold regular events every Sunday afternoon and accept special bookings upon request. Attendance is by reservation only. Please book for each guest.

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What people are saying

Ermi

A wonderful experience for anyone who loves cats! I came here with my daughter and we had an amazing time. (Non-alcoholic) drinks are provided in a fridge, and the staff very obviously loves these cats, they were happy to hang around and tell us about the history of the cafe and their own lives. All of the cats have distinct personalities, but never were they aggressive towards us. We sincerely hope they all find their forever homes, and encourage anyone looking for a relaxing place where you can spend time with cats to stop by!
Stefanie

This was a very relaxing afternoon activity! In comparison to other "regular" cat cafés the cats here seemed to be much more relaxed, curious and playful. That is how you can see that they have a loving and caring environment! Susan told us a lot about their work and you could feel that she was very compessionate about it. I am happy there are people like her and her co-workers who are interested in animal wellbeing! If I would be living in Japan I might have even thought about adopting one of the cats 😊
Kate

I really enjoyed the experience! As a cat lover I was happy to spend some time playing with cats. More that that, it was really insightful to learn about rescue cats and shelters in Japan. It was well organised and the hosts really love their job
Janine

As usual, this is a lovely experience. The newly renovated space looks beautiful and is so spacious. The kitties have so many places to climb, play and hide. The volunteers are lovely but it's always a highlight to speak to Susan! Of course, the cats are amazing too. They're so polite, funny and snuggly. At one point I had 3 cats in my lap! The dream! I highly recommend this experience to anyone who loves cats and also to people interested in cat rescue and animal welfare in Japan, as Susan is a wealth of knowledge. By supporting Japan Cat Network, you're supporting an incredible organization and the most gorgeous cats. This was our 4th visit!
Silke

The two volunteers who were present during my visit were super kind and they told me a lot about the cats. They had a lot of toys for us to use for playing with the cats. They also provided drinks for us to grab! The cats were super cute and playful, i would 100% recommend it, and i’d love to come back if i can!
Julie

This was such a great way to spend a day with the cutest cats! The hosts really had a passion for these cats! We really enjoyed petting, playing and giving the kitties treats! Thank you for taking such good care of the cats!