Yadorigi Cafe — Restaurant in Tokyo

I've been to a few cat/animal cafes in the past, but this was by far the best one! Here's why:

You can pick up and hold the cats! This was the only place I've been to that allowed that. When you come for the first time, they show you a video that explains how to handle them carefully, which is nice.

It's not time-based. Most other places operate on a "pay X per hour" model, but here you just pay to enter and spend however long you want!* They do ask that you buy one food and drink per person, but you should so that anyways, because...

The food is great! This is a cat cafe that really deserves the "cafe" title in its name. The food and drink are not just afterthoughts here. It's a cafe first, that just happens to have cats that you can play with.

The cats are rescued from the streets. They are not purchased for the sake of entertainment, and appear to be well-taken care of. Many have even found loving homes for themselves.

It's not too crowded. At most, they appear to accept 8 parties of people (so like 16 customers max), which means that there's at least one cat per person available (there were 24 cats when we went). They are all quite calm and friendly too, so they won't just run away.

The staff is really friendly! It's easy to mix up who is a staff member and who is a customer, because of how relaxed they are, and how much fun they're having. It's a nice breath of fresh air compared to the usual "formal" Japanese customer service that can be a bit stifling at times. Also, one of the co-owners is Italian and speaks English, so rest assured that you'll be able to communicate easily.

*One comment I would make though is that the rules are a bit difficult to understand, especially since they appear to have changed throughout the pandemic. For example, I saw one place (the Q&A page) on the website that said that reservations are not being taken, but another place said that you can make reservations. Also, it was explained to us that there was no time limit, but there also appears to be 2-hour time slots that are available? So we were confused as to whether we needed to leave soon or not. Maybe we could stay as long as we wanted unless it started to become crowded outside? I'm not sure. I think they're doing their best to let customers relax freely without worrying about time, especially when it's not crowded, but at the same time, I do want to make sure that I'm not inconveniencing anyone. So maybe removing some of the old rules and clearly explaining the time limit could have made things a little better. But that's all!

I wish I could keep this place a secret all to myself, but they really do deserve all the business they can get, especially as they try to recover from 2 years of pandemic restrictions. Please just remember to be courteous so that we can keep this pleasant experience for...

If I had seen the negative reviews earlier, I wouldn’t have chosen this place. As some other reviewers have mentioned, the store doesn’t seem to have clear rules and tends to favor regular customers, which affects the experience for others. I came here with high hopes, but unfortunately, things didn’t go as I expected.

1️⃣ The cats hadn’t had their nails trimmed in time, and I ended up getting scratched and bleeding. I was being very gentle when I reached out to pet a kitten, but still got scratched. I completely understand—it’s just part of a cat’s nature, especially if they’re a bit shy. I don’t blame the cat at all. I just feel the store should have trimmed their nails more regularly to avoid this kind of situation.

2️⃣ When regular customers arrived, the whole atmosphere of the store changed. The space is already quite small, and at that moment, I no longer felt like a guest—I felt like an outsider. The cats all gathered around the regulars, who brought toys the cats liked, and the staff chatted with them while playing with the cats. It made it really hard for others to interact with the cats. No matter how gently I tried to pet them—even trying the same techniques the regulars used—the cats still avoided me. It made me feel a bit sad. I know this isn’t something the cats can help, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment. I had booked a two-hour session, but ended up leaving in less than an hour because I just didn’t feel comfortable.

3️⃣ Some other reviews mentioned that customers are asked to stay seated while eating, but I saw regulars leaving their seats to play with the cats in the middle of their meals, then going back to continue eating. So I’m not sure who those rules are really for.

4️⃣ Lastly, I think if you’re just looking for a place to relax and chat with friends—and you don’t mind if it’s not very quiet—this could be a nice spot. But if your main goal is to spend time with the cats, I honestly wouldn’t recommend it. The cats seem to recognize and prefer regulars, and the way the staff treats them differently does affect the experience for others. Maybe the shop doesn’t really depend on casual visitors. Still, I really want to thank the blond, blue-eyed staff member who gave me disinfectant and a bandage—you were the kindest person I met there and truly tried to...

If you are in Tokyo, especially in the Nippori area, you must go visit this cat rescue cafe! We were lucky enough to pass by the cafe by complete chance and decided to give it a try.

It was our last day in Japan so we had heaps of luggage with us, but the owner (a very kind Italian man) was more than accommodating and helped us place our luggages in a safe area while we spent our time in the cafe.

From the first moment you come to the cafe, you can tell just how much they care for the cats. They have a clear process on how to clean your shoes (super simple!), wipe your phone and wash your hands before you can interact with the cats. And you can even see just how much the cats love them too! They are clearly loved and treated with great care.

The owner explained that all the cats are rescue cats from the streets or even from past breeders and they take them in whenever they can. They had a total of 24 cats at the time I visited! We saw some cats kept separate in a special room and the owner explained that those cats are being cared for separately as they have a skin condition and they don't want the other cats to get infected too. We even saw the owner go in and care for all of them meticulously.

We chose to get the Italian set which we highly recommend. It includes a main dish, drink and dessert which were all created by the owners themselves! The ragu pasta was absolutely delicious and the catalana was to die for.

Please come to this cafe and support this lovely business that rescues and cares for cats way more than any other cat cafe you will go to in Japan. They are so dedicated to these cats and I promise you that it shows in every aspect of this cafe!

Please note that this cafe can get pretty busy so if you want to avoid waiting, be sure to make a reservation! The first time we stopped by, we were told we would have to wait around an hour so we just asked to make a reservation for the next day! Super simple and they helped us make the reservation since the site is...