Cat Spa & Cat Ryokan
Cat Spa & Cat Ryokan by Neco is a ryokan, a capsule hotel, and an animal café, but mostly a place overdosed with cuteness in the heart of Osaka.
Ryokans are the Japanese version of Western hotels, with some peculiar differences.
The cultural experience begins when you arrive at a Japanese inn and switch your shoes at the entrance for slippers and comfy yukata robes.
The rooms are also different. Instead of huge continental beds, Japanese futon mattresses cover the floor with an underlying layer of tatamis.
Over the decades, Japanese hoteliers have ingeniously utilized bits and pieces of Western-style hotels and ryokans to develop new concepts.
Neco Republic (an organization sheltering cats) went one step further and introduced the cuteness and quirkiness of pet cafés to the hotel industry. Or the other way around? Anyhow...
Dogs, parrots, mini pigs, reptiles, rabbits, giant tortoises, hedgehogs, and the list goes on of how many animals you can pet in these places while slowly sipping your coffee to stay as long as possible.
The borders between an animal shelter, an animal café, and a capsule hotel disappear in this unique and unmistakably Japanese place.
Creating a new, quirky, and fun type of hotel where you can interact with the kittens from the comfort of your bed.
As a guest of the ryokan, you get all the benefits and more than a drop-in visitor to the café, who must pay every 10 minutes of their stay (but get unlimited drinks during this time).
Your capsule has a window to the "Cat Spa", which is essentially a massive playground for the kitties. Plus, you get two hours' worth of vouchers to enter the "Cat Spa".
Sleeping with the fis... cats! Don't be surprised if these small carnivorous mammals will party through the night while you are taking a well-deserved sleep.
Luckily, there is a glass panel that separates you from getting scratch marks and being awakened every few minutes!
The washrooms are similar to hostels, but you get a bath towel, a face towel, and a toothbrush free of charge. Additionally, you can buy Cat Ryokan branded towels as souvenirs.
When the cat café is closed, and only the staff moves around to feed and care for the animals, you get a private glance at their lives.
Before the opening (from 10:00-12:00) and after closing (21:00-22:00) hours, you can enter the Cat Spa avoiding the crowds.
Another perk of staying at the Cat Ryokan is that you get free access to the lounge of Japan's largest hostel, the Stay Osaka Shinsaibashi, where you can relax, cook, or do some work on your laptop while consuming a complimentary cup of coffee or tea.
You'll get a Cat Ryokan wristband so the hostel staff can let you in without hesitation.
With every stay, you support the cats' welfare, as Neco Republic takes good care of the fluffy ones while looking for a place to call home for them.
