Japan Cat Inn White Paper 2026 | 135 inns by region, prefecture, and cat interaction category

This white paper is a compilation of 135 domestic lodging introduction articles published by Neko Yado Research as of 2026-08-22. This is not a comprehensive list of all cat-friendly accommodations in Japan. The numbers will change depending on the discovery of new accommodation, the retirement of cats, and changes in sales and interaction methods.

At Neko Yado Research, we are investigating accommodations where resident cats live and where you can check the contact with cats during your stay. With the increase in the number of articles, it is now possible to use the same criteria to see which areas have the most listed inns, and how many inns have confirmed the possibility of cats coming to the guest room.

“National Cat Inn White Paper 2026” tabulates 135 inns in Japan by region, prefecture, and distance to cats. We do not use the size of the numbers to evaluate the quality of accommodation or the area, but rather to use them as basic information to understand the current listing status and gaps that need to be investigated in the future.

2026 Total Results

• Domestic listed accommodations: 135 inns
• Prefectures with listed accommodations: 41 prefectures
• A: 22 inns (16.3%) where cats sometimes come to the guest room
• B: 81 inns (60.0%) where you can interact with cats inside the inn or in a dedicated space
• C: 32 accommodations (23.7%) where the resident cat’s presence was confirmed and the contact range was unconfirmed
• Most listed prefectures: 10 accommodations in Oita Prefecture
• Prefectures not yet published: 6 prefectures

A/B/C only represents the distance to the cat. Even in A, the cat does not always come to the guest room, nor does it mean that B or C are inferior as accommodations. The detailed concept of classification is explained in Why Neko Yado Research divides the distance to cats into A, B, and C.

White paper compilation method

Articles included in the tally

We targeted individual inn introduction articles currently available on WordPress that belong to the “Cat Inn” category and any of the eight regions in Japan. We do not count the same facility multiple times; each facility is treated as one lodging.

The following pages are not included in the tally of 135 domestic accommodations.

• Introduction article about resident cats
• Cat accommodation guide for travel preparation, photography, how to interact, etc.
• Summary articles by region and theme
• 11 individual lodgings overseas (9 lodgings in Taiwan, 2 lodgings in Thailand)
• Facilities that remain candidates for investigation and do not publish individual articles

Distance with cat

Each accommodation is exclusively assigned A/B/C. For the determination, we will use accommodation interviews, official information about the accommodation, and specific accommodation information that is currently available for reference.

• **A｜Cats may come to the guest room: ** Check cases where resident cats come to the guest room by themselves or applicable plans where resident cats come to the guest room.
• **B｜Inside the inn/You can interact with each other in a dedicated space: ** You can interact with each other in the common areas and cat-only spaces, but resident cat guest-room visits are unconfirmed.
• **C｜Meet the resident cat (unconfirmed contact): ** The resident cat can be confirmed, but the place and range where guests can interact with it is unconfirmed.

We do not classify it into A based solely on old secondary information. Cases that differ from the system in which resident cats freely visit the guest room, such as sharing a room with a potential cat for adoption, will also be classified as B.

Precautions when reading numbers

The number of accommodations in this white paper is the number that Neko Yado Research was able to confirm and publish. These numbers do not prove that there are actually fewer lodgings with cats in the area.

There are some inns that do not provide information about cats on their official website, some that only advertise on SNS, and some inns that do not update their information after the cats retire. Prefectures with fewer listings may have undiscovered or unconfirmed accommodations remaining.

By region, Chubu has the highest number of accommodations with 35.

Currently, Chubu has the largest number of accommodations listed with 35, followed by Kyushu/Okinawa with 26 and Kanto with 24. In the Chubu region, there are many listed inns in Nagano, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka prefectures, and a wide variety of inns were confirmed, including hot spring resorts, highland pensions, and old folk houses.

Kyushu/Okinawa lists 10 accommodations in Oita Prefecture alone. The number of cases shows that there are accommodations where you can interact with resident cats and rescue cats in hot spring areas such as Beppu, Kannawa, Yufuin, and Sujiyu.

However, the number of listings is also affected by the ease of finding the accommodation and the amount of official information. Rather than conclude that there are many cat shelters in this area, please view this information as an accumulation of current research.

Publication status in 47 prefectures

The top rankings are 10 inns in Oita Prefecture, 8 inns each in Hokkaido and Nagano Prefecture, and 7 inns in Chiba Prefecture. Yamagata, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka prefectures follow with six inns each.

On the other hand, there are currently 0 accommodations listed in Iwate, Akita, Ibaraki, Tokyo, Shiga, and Saga prefectures. This does not mean that “nekoyado” does not exist. Since we have not confirmed the basis for publishing it as an individual article, we will continue the investigation without creating a short speculative article.

Category B accounts for about 60%

The most common accommodation is B, 81. Even if guests and cats can spend time together in the same building or in a dedicated space, it does not necessarily mean that the cat will be able to enter the regular guest room. You need to search separately for “Inns where you can meet cats” and “Inns where you can spend time with cats in the guest room.”

A has 22 lodgings, which is approximately 1 in 6 lodgings listed in Japan. There are only a few inns where you can check guest-room visits, and even A does not guarantee a visit every time. The cat’s will, physical condition, guest room, plan, and door rules take priority. You can also compare the corresponding accommodations at Summary of accommodations where cats from all over the country come to play in the guest room.

32 inns in C are inns where the presence of resident cats can be confirmed, but the extent to which they can be interacted with cannot be determined based on current information. Please check the latest guidance before making a reservation, including days when you cannot meet and operations to refrain from contact.

Hot springs were confirmed at 52 out of 126 audited accommodations.

As of 2026-08-19, we have audited 126 accommodations using the stay attributes used to select accommodations. We do not assign the unconfirmed attribute by guessing, and only aggregate when we can confirm the basis of official information or individual articles. The total does not add up to 126 because some inns have multiple attributes.

Hot springs were confirmed at 52 inns, exceeding 40% of audited inns. This indicates that many inns offer not only the opportunity to meet cats but also serve as a destination for an independent stay focused on hot springs.

There are 31 inns within walking distance from the station. However, “within walking distance” varies depending on luggage, slopes, snowfall, and nighttime lighting. The 16 accommodations offering pick-up and drop-off services also have reservation deadlines and operating conditions, so please use these attributes as a starting point for comparison rather than a guarantee of availability.

Three key findings from the white paper

1. Only a few inns allow confirmation of guest room visits.

There is a difference between “an inn with cats” and “an inn where cats sometimes come to the guest room.” Of the 135 accommodations in Japan, 22 are classified as A; strict separation of information will reduce mismatched expectations when choosing accommodations.

2. Purposes of stay other than cats are also important

Accommodations that offer hot springs, cuisine, old folk houses, the seaside, highlands, or whole-house rentals, where the cat can enjoy itself even on days when it is resting, lead to trips that do not demand too much customer service from the resident cat. It is also important to respect the life of a resident cat and not to rely solely on the cat’s behavior.

3. Prefectures with little information have more room for investigation.

There are 16 prefectures with 0 to 1 accommodation. In addition to regional differences, the number of listings is also affected by whether there is an official announcement or not, and by how easy it is to find them in a search. The numbers may change depending on information provided by the host, guests, and on-site interviews.

Future research topics

Update the cat’s current information

Resident cats age and may take a break or retire. The range of movement of a cat that previously came to the guest room may also change. Published articles are not fixed as finished products; instead, they are updated with the same URL while checking official announcements and interviews.

Prioritize search by prefecture with 0 to 1 accommodation

We will prioritize research into the 6 prefectures that are not listed and the 10 prefectures where only one accommodation is listed. However, we will not list facilities with weak evidence just to increase the number of pages by prefecture. We will write separate articles for inns where we were able to confirm the presence of cats and their contact with guests.

Increase actual accommodation coverage and photos

Official information alone may not reveal where the cat rests or what time of day it appears. After on-site research, I will add to the existing article photos taken while observing the inn’s rules, the cat’s personality, information about the host, and precautions learned during my stay.

Record the host’s voice

Numbers alone cannot explain how the cat came to live at the inn, the decision to suspend customer service, and what we want guests to observe. By linking the Interview series with the host and the white paper, we will leave a record of Nekoyado culture.

How to use the white paper

When looking for accommodation, instead of choosing only the prefectures with the most listings, it will be easier to compare if you narrow down your criteria in the following order.

1. Decide the region/prefecture you want to visit
2. Select the desired distance from A/B/C to the cat
3. Add stay conditions such as hot springs, walking from the station, transportation, solo travel, etc.
4. Read the basis and confirmation date in individual articles
5. Check the inn’s official information for current conditions before booking.

On the Neko Yado Research top page, you can search for individual articles using a map and conditional search. You can check the latest articles in Article List.

Summary

As of 2026-08-22, Neko Yado Research has listed 135 domestic cat accommodations in 41 prefectures. The distance to the cat was 22 accommodations for A, 81 for B, and 32 for C, and 16.3% of all accommodations had guest-room visits.

This number is not the result of counting all cat accommodations in Japan, but it is the range that we have been able to confirm and write about so far. We update the white paper every year, respecting the lives of cats and developing research that is useful for both people looking for accommodation and the hosts.

For information on changes in information, please also see Why cat inn information tends to become outdated and how to read the confirmation date, and for ways to support cat inns, see also 7 ways to support cat inns that go beyond just staying overnight.

Update history

• 2026-08-22: First edition released for 135 cat accommodations in Japan