Did you know Koshienguchi has Japan’s biggest cat café?
Seriously, there are so many cats here
Just a 3-minute walk from JR Koshienguchi Station. We visited “ひなたぼっこ,” a cat café where an incredible 15 breeds and 64 cats(56 staff cats and 8 kittens, as of 1/15) live together in abundance. In terms of scale, it’s Japan’s largest（by number of cats） cat café.
The moment you step inside, it’s cats! Cats! Cats! The whole space is filled with cats, making it a heavenly place for anyone who wants to be surrounded by them.
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More than just a cat café
“ひなたぼっこ” isn’t just an ordinary cat café. It’s a shop that offers a cat salon, a cat hotel, and even works as a breeder, providing total support for cats.
① Cat Salon
Here, cats can be shampooed without anesthesia! On top of that, they have professionals who do show grooming, so your cat will come out looking amazingly beautiful.
You might think, “Don’t cats hate shampoo?” But here, you can feel at ease. If another shop has told you they can’t handle your cat, it’s worth consulting them once（Unlike dogs, cats are apparently washed 3 to 6 times with a mildly acidic shampoo!）
You might imagine that “long-haired cats must be harder to wash,” but apparently short-haired breeds like Russian Blues tend to be more athletic, so they can struggle more and be harder to bathe. But at “ひなたぼっこ,” they have techniques developed over many years as show breeders for holding cats without upsetting them, so they can accept all kinds of cats. Amazing!
② Cat Hotel
They also offer a hotel where you can leave your cat when traveling or going on business trips. And being close to the station is such a plus! Since cat-care specialists look after them, owners can feel reassured too.
③ Cattery（Show Breeder）
They have all kinds of rare cats, including Russian Blues and Siberians.
Some of the cats have even won Grand Champion titles at shows… and it’s not just their form, but their coats too. So dignified. If you find a cat you fall in love with, you can welcome them into your family, so being able to see different cats’ personalities and compatibility in person is a real advantage. Their personalities really do vary so much.
④ Traveling Cat Café
This one is seriously surprising. If requested, the cats will come to you!
It’s like a dream service where they bring an entire cat café to event venues, welfare facilities, and more. This photo was taken when they came to an event at “おろいち” near JR Nishinomiya Station.
So many friendly cats
Have you ever gone to a cat café and the cats barely came near you? At “ひなたぼっこ,” that won’t be a problem.
When we asked customers during our visit, they said the biggest difference was how friendly the cats are. They actually hop onto your lap or rub up against you. That blissful loop of “Even if one fickle kitty wanders off, another one comes right over” is seriously addictive.
“Butt pats” and “cat sniffing” are allowed!?
One thing that makes ひなたぼっこ special is that you can enjoy forbidden（!?）cat interactions that make you think, “Wait, is that really okay?”
At ordinary cat cafés, “butt pats” are often something you’d be scolded for, but here you can enjoy them openly! And apparently, some cats even get happy and excited about it…
（※If the cats start fighting with each other, let a staff member know）
For those with a deep love of cats who think, “I want to breathe in that kitty scent as much as I can…” they’ve got you covered! When a cat is relaxed, you can gently bring your face close and enjoy a little cat sniffing, which might be something you can only do here. By the way, when you smell a cat, they don’t have the strong body odor that dogs do. According to the owner, it’s “a warm, toasty scent like dried straw.” Though honestly, I don’t know what dried straw smells like lol
The reason “butt pats” and “cat sniffing”, which are often discouraged at other shops, are OK here is because “our cats are used to it, and they love interacting with people.” It truly is a “heaven for cat lovers” of a cat café.
The secret behind their friendliness
The owner originally worked in carpentry, and apparently designed the building himself to make it cat-friendly.
The inside is full of catwalks so the cats can move up and down freely. It’s designed so they can run around however they like. Creating such a comfortable environment for the cats to live in really shows the depth of love here, and I think that’s the secret behind how friendly they are.
Shop Information
Here it is on the map↓
The address is 2-7-3 Koshienguchi, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.
Station: 3-minute walk from Koshienguchi Station on the JR Kobe Line
Phone: 0798-67-0699 / FAX: 0798-67-0698
Email: info@neko-hinata.com
Hours: 12:00〜19:00
Closed: Every Tuesday（check the website calendar for shop holidays）
Official website hereCat café fees:
Weekends and holidays: 1 hour, 1 person, 1.500 yen（includes cat treats）
Weekdays: 1 hour, 1 person, 1.200 yen（includes cat treats）
Extension: 1000 yen / per hour, includes additional treats（may not be available depending on crowding）
Drinks: 500 yen
Cat treats（additional）: 200 yen
Cat treats（special）: 400 yen
They also offer weekday free-time plans, private rentals, and more. Details here
If you love cats, why not come and experience this “Japan’s biggest cat-filled” place for yourself? You’re sure to meet a new favorite kitty. And to everyone at “ひなたぼっこ”! Congratulations on your 10th anniversary! Please keep making this cat paradise even more wonderful!
