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Cash, cards and what to bring to an animal café in Japan
Published 21 October 2026 · Counts as of 21 October 2026 (258 cafés with details copied from their official websites)
Based on the official websites of the cafés listed on Fureai Japan, as of 21 October 2026. We do not rate cafés.
Cash still matters
Japan has moved a long way toward cashless payment, but small animal cafés are among the places where cash is still common. Of the 258 cafés with details on this site, 11 state that they take cash only, 11 state that they are cashless only (cards, QR codes or transit IC cards, no cash), and the rest do not say either way on their website. Where a café states it, the café page shows it under Before you go → Payment.
What the official site says about payment (258 cafés)
Practical reading: bring enough yen for the entry fee and extensions (a 30-minute entry is typically ¥800–1,430; see how animal cafés work), and do not assume a foreign credit card will work. Cafés that accept cashless payment often list Japanese QR services (PayPay, Rakuten Pay) and transit IC cards (Suica, ICOCA) before international cards.
Where to get cash: ATMs in convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson) and at Japan Post accept most foreign cards; check the ATM's own card logos, as acceptance and fees change. A transit IC card such as Suica or ICOCA, loaded with cash, is accepted by some cafés as well as on trains and in convenience stores.
What to bring
- Socks. Many cafés are shoes-off; 50 cafés mention socks or bare feet in their rules, and some will not let you in barefoot (a few sell socks at the door).
- Nothing to eat or drink. 46 cafés state that outside food and drink are not allowed; treat it as the rule everywhere. Feeding animals anything the café has not provided is also against the law for exhibitors.
- A bag you can close. Cats and birds investigate open bags; several cafés ask you to keep bags zipped or in a locker.
- Your phone, with flash off. Photos without flash are usually allowed. Some cafés forbid photographing other guests, and a few forbid video.
- ID is rarely asked for, but cafés with an age limit may ask a child's age.
Rules written on official sites (of 258 cafés)
What to leave at the hotel
- Strong perfume (21 cafés ask you not to wear it, or similar scents, around animals).
- Food in your bag.
- Expectations of holding the animals: most cat cafés do not allow picking cats up.
Clothes
Loose, washable clothes. Cat hair, hedgehog quills and rabbit fur come home with you. Some cafés provide aprons or lint rollers.
Getting there and staying connected
Each café page has a map button that opens the café itself in Google Maps (not just its address), a transit-directions button, and the Japanese address to copy for a taxi driver. A data connection in Japan — a travel eSIM or a pocket Wi-Fi — is what makes those buttons useful on the street, and lets you open a Japanese booking page or show a confirmation at the door. How booking works →
Sources: the official websites of the cafés listed on Fureai Japan, copied on the dates shown on each café page; counts as of 21 October 2026. "Cash only" and "cashless only" are read by a script from the price, booking and notes text on each official site and then checked by hand; "mention socks", "state no outside food" and "ask you not to wear perfume" are counted by the words used on the official site. ATM and payment facts are general and may change.