Nekobukuro

Nekobukuro Cat's House (ねこぶくろ) is a petting zoo for cats located on the eighth floor[1] of the Ikebukuro Tokyu Hands store.

Nekobukuro is a play on the Japanese word for cat, "neko", and the location Ikebukuro.

It is one of the better known[2] cat-petting destinations, being included in tourist and sightseeing guides.[3][4]

For an entrance fee, customers may interact and play with any of the fifteen to twenty[5] cats currently running free around Nekobukuro at the time. Over 30 cats are rostered in and out over the course of the day to ensure they are not over-handled.

Like Tokyo's many cat cafés, Nekobukuro is viewed as an alternative to pet ownership while still maintaining pet interaction. Not only is buying and keeping a pet in Japan expensive, many apartments will not allow pets, and some Tokyo residents feel their work schedule may not be compatible with the ownership of an animal.[6]

Nekobukuro has no attached cafe and does not permit food or drink, but a couples discount and no time limit ensures its continued popularity as a destination on dates.[7]