Hello fellow cat lovers! Looking for some cat cafes to visit
in Osaka? Recently I’ve been obsessed with going to them. I’ve been to six
different ones around Osaka in the past few months. I like cat cafés because I
get to see and play with cute cats and relax. Time always goes by so quickly in
a cat café. It’s a great way to kill time pleasantly while waiting for a
friend, etc. Since many people can’t have pets where they live, cat cafes
provide people with the temporary comfort of interacting with a pet. Let me
introduce the places I’ve been to so far. I’ll provide links to their websites
so you can check times and prices yourself.
First up is Cat Tail in Amemura (American Village). This is
the first cat cafe I went to in Osaka. I feel like this is one of the most
properly run places and is really organized. I liked that at this place, some
cats would willingly sit on your lap…especially if you have treats lol. You get
your drink at first, and it comes in a nice cup with a lid that you can leave
on a table or carry around with you at your leisure. There were a lot of drink
choices. My only complaint about this place is that it’s quite small. It’s also
a well known café, so there are always people there, and it can get kind of
crowded.
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| This face, though. |
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| Lap kitty! |
This is one of two branches, and it’s around the Tenma area.
I’ll introduce the other branch next, but both of them are beautiful cat cafes
and my personal choice. They are both spacious, well decorated, and have very
nice looking breeds of cats. The north branch is decorated as a tradition
Japanese tatami room. It is set up to
where you play first and have your drink after in a separate room that also
seems to be a dining bar anyone can go to in the evening. There’s a friendly
old dog that chills in the bar area. My favorite thing about the north branch
was a really derpy-looking orange cat. His tongue was always hanging out haha!
The south branch is in Amermura. It’s perfect if you wana
relax a little before getting your night of partying started. As I said, this
branch is also spacious and beautifully decorated with nice looking cats. The
theme of this one was like a forest. This place appealed the most to me the
most aesthetically and location-wise. Here, you could get your drink and drink
it anytime, but you had to sit at a table while drinking and not leave your cup
unattended.
This café was also near Tenma. This one is really special
because they take in strays, care for them, and try to get them adopted. I
really respect this system. I wish all places were like this! I guess the only
downfall is that at this kind of place, you don’t really get to see rare or
pure breeds. Most of the cats here had parts of their ears or tails missing. Since
they were all strays before, their personalities are a bit different. They are
more lively and energetic. At most other cat cafes, the cats are bored and
tired of people touching them. Since people adopt cats from here, the turnover
rate of cats is pretty high, and there weren’t many that have been in the café
for over a year. The owner was a really friendly, cool dude who encouraged you
to play with and touch the cats. My only two complaints about this place is
that it was quite small, perhaps the smallest, and it could’ve just been that
day, but almost all the customers there were regulars. This means that they
knew all the cats by name and knew the cats’ personalities, what toys they
like, etc. They kind of hogged the cats to themselves. If I remember correctly,
at this place you had the option of a drink or no drink. I went with no drink.
There was actually a food menu, I believe, too, and you could order a meal and
sit down and watch the cats through a window from the dining area. If you got
only a drink, I still think you had to drink outside in the dining area, as
well.
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| Piece of ear missing. |
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| Half of tail missing. |
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| So playful! :) |
This cat café is in Umeda, and it had the most open floor
plan. I think it was the biggest of them all. It wasn’t bad, but the room just
felt a little bare. The cats here really enjoyed playing with toys, but it was
one of the places you had to pay money to rent a toy. About half of the cat
cafes I went to were like that. I can’t say much about this place. The drinks
were just mini bottles of water, apple juice, or canned coffee. You could take
one out of the fridge yourself and drink it at you leisure. I didn’t feel that
the staff was very personable here. There was nothing particularly wrong with
the place, but there was nothing about that stood out and would make me want to
go here over other cat cafes.
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| Grumpy Cat. |
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| Chubbie. :3 |
The last place I want to introduce to you is Munchkin in
Kyobashi. This place is closest to my home and was the only one that had a 30
minute option. All other places were a minimum of an hour. You could choose
with or without a drink. If you got a drink, it was just full-size bottles of
tea, water, etc. What can I say, this place definitely stood out… The cats here
are ANGRY! Like it’s a bit scary! The place is actually a decent size and quite
comfortable, but holy crap there are just too many cats for one space. I think
I counted like 17 in total! Usually cat cafes have around 10 or so. They did
NOT get along with each other. They hissed, they meowed, and they cat punched
each other in the faceeeeeee. The kind ones cowered in fear of the dominant
ones. Sometimes I feared that I would be attacked. I guess you could say it was
entertaining. Being so close to where I live, I decided to go back again and
give it another chance. There was one very redeeming quality to going back. I
found a kitten named Joanna that I didn’t notice the first time. She was the
sweetest and most loving little kitty. You’ll find that when you go to cat
cafes, the cats are sick of being touched by strangers day-in and day-out. They
often recoil when you try to pet them, they never purr, and they never come to
you (unless you have toys or treats). Joanna is still a kitten and perhaps
hasn’t gotten sick of people yet. She came up to me, rubbed up against me,
purred, and wanted me to pet her constantly. OMG I love her so much! For this
reason and this reason alone, I will be going back here. One more thing, both
times I went, there were hardly any people…as in the first time there was only
one other guy and the second time I was the only customer. The lady who runs it
kind of just stands in the corner and watches you while you play with the cats
which is really awkward, but it you make conversation with you, it feels better
lol!
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| Pissed cat. |
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| Pissed cat. |
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| Little Joanna! ...ok, she looks kinda pissed, too. |
So hopefully that gives you some options for when you are in
Osaka. Lastly, I just want to go over real quick the procedures of going to a
cat café so you don’t make any embarrassing mistakes.
First, you go in and take off your shoes at the first
opportunity. There are usually boxes near the entrance. Depending on the place,
you will either take your shoes off right before or right after checking in.
When you check in, you usually get a time card to let you
know what time you entered and what time your one hour will be up. Some places
take your name and tell you that they will call you when your time is up
instead of giving you a card. Many places make you pay in advance, but some
will ask you for money at the end. You can pay extra money if you want to
extend your time while you are there. Extensions usually go by 30 minute
intervals. I would say the standard price for one hour with a drink is around
¥1,200 ($12ish). If you go two or three hours before closing, some places have
free time where you pay a flat rate and you can stay as long as you want until
closing. Most cat cafes close at 8 or 9 pm.
After checking in, you will be asked to spray your hands
with a sanitizing spray so you don’t get germs on the cats. You will be
directed to where you can put your luggage. There are usually little lockers. If
you are getting a drink, usually you get it right in the beginning, but places
vary.
Now that you are in, it’s time to play with cats! The staff
will bring you your drink when it’s ready. There are profile books you can look
at to see pictures and bios of all the cats there. You can see their name,
gender, their likes and dislikes, etc. You are allowed to take pictures of the
cats as long as you don’t use flash. You usually aren’t usually allowed to pick
up the cats, but you can try petting them all you want.
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| Usually I look at the Japanese profile books because they actually make sense lol! Tehe ENglish in this one was too funny, though, not to take a picture! |
Places have different rules about toys. Some let you use the
toys for free, and some make you rent them. Be careful about just taking one
without asking. Treats are also available for purchase and area good way to
make the cats pay attention to you.
When your time is up, you have to leave. If you haven’t paid
yet, get your luggage and pay, put on your shoes and leave. Some places will
have sinks for you to use to wash your hands at after touching the cats if you
so wish and lint rollers for your clothes. That about covers it! Happy cat
travels!
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