Traditional Japanese Inn Offers Its Guests Cat Companions To Spend The Night With
A ryokan is a type of traditional Japanese inn that usually features tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where guests may wear a casual summer kimono and talk to the owner. Ryokans have existed since the 8th century, which is also when the oldest hotel in the world, Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, was created. However, these establishments are still relevant; one of them just went viral for its services.
It is called My Cat Yugawara and is located in the hot spring town of Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. Among all the offers, there’s a “trial” package that allows guests to experience first-hand what it’s like living with a cat.
More info: mycat-yugawara.com
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Akihiro Ochi, the owner of the inn, told Bored Panda that there are people in Japan who want to keep or interact with cats but are unable to bring the animals to their home due to their living conditions. So, a facility where such a person can spend the whole day in a room with a cat as if they belong to the same family is really needed.
“The cats in My Cat Yugawara are by no means working,” Ochi said. “Everyone within My Cat Yugawara are family and best friends. We even sleep and eat together.”
The owner said they are working a 24-hour shift themself. “We, the staff, know the personality of each and every cat ‘child’ we have because of how close we all are.
Ochi said the cats are smart, friendly, obedient, and calm. “We are not operating for profit. A huge portion of our income goes to maintaining the facility, including feeding the cats and maintaining their health.”
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Everyone who purchases the trial package will share their room with a cat. The feline will arrive at 5.30 PM and stay until 9 AM. During that time, guests must not leave the cat unattended.
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
First-time guests are also required to complete at least one session in the My Cat Yugawara cafe, so that the staff can make sure they’re comfortable around the critters, and that the cats are comfortable around them.
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
The trial package is not just fun and games. Since the guests are responsible for taking care of the animal, they will also have to clean its litter box with a scooper they will receive at check-in.
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
The trial package was created for people who are thinking about getting a cat as their pet but aren’t entirely sure whether or not that’s the right choice for them. My Cat Yugawara hopes to help them to find out.
The best part is that if a person decides they not only want a cat but like the one they spent the night with, My Cat Yugawara will make it possible to adopt it.
The applicant, however, will have to go through an interview where the inn will determine whether or not they and the cat are a good fit.
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
The trial package is a 2,200 JPY (about 21 USD) per-cat surcharge over the hotel’s regular price of 4,950 JPY (47 USD) per person, or room rate of 3,190 JPY (30 USD) per guest for those staying in a room without a private bathroom.
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
These rates are without meals but the inn can happily help with placing orders with local restaurants that will deliver pizza or sushi.
Ready to plan your next trip?
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Image credits: mycatyugawara
Here’s what people have been saying about the inn
Oh man ... this is a bad trigger of my cat-withdrawal-symptoms ... no cat around is a state I don't want to remain in for long ... they look so cute and calm, and that implies they're happy and well cared ... and I simply love cats because they're so cat-like, and cat also translates to "superior being, best friend, wrapped in nice fur".
There's an historic hotel in Minnesota my wife and have gone to on weekends every few years - the Anderson House in Wabasha, MN. Built in 1856, it's the oldest continually operating bed and breakfast in Minnesota west of the Mississippi. They also provide cat companions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_Anderson_House_Hotel
Those cats look very well cared for and it's so nice that you can adopt one of the cats if you have a connection.
As much as I love cats, I have to agree with what's been said already... You don't get to sleep through the night... Taken from someone who lives with a furry house master lol
I can assure you that the Anderson House in Minnesota, which I mention above, has cats that are very well behaved. They use secret cat-rays to make you fall asleep and stay asleep. =)
Load More Replies...Considering I've had up to four cats at a time in my house, challenge accepted! Love my kittehs! Funny thing, I'm going through a divorce (my choice) before moving out of the bedroom only one cat would come onto the bed, now that I'm on the loft with my own bed, all three come visit and hang out with me, with one pretty much taken over the bottom third of the bed. Yeah, catdad ftw!
Well, "the" japanese is like "the" americans or "the" british and so on...there are some japanese killing dolphins as there are some japanese offering a cat as a companion... we shouldn' t consider the population of a country as a solid block...
Load More Replies...Oh man ... this is a bad trigger of my cat-withdrawal-symptoms ... no cat around is a state I don't want to remain in for long ... they look so cute and calm, and that implies they're happy and well cared ... and I simply love cats because they're so cat-like, and cat also translates to "superior being, best friend, wrapped in nice fur".
There's an historic hotel in Minnesota my wife and have gone to on weekends every few years - the Anderson House in Wabasha, MN. Built in 1856, it's the oldest continually operating bed and breakfast in Minnesota west of the Mississippi. They also provide cat companions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic_Anderson_House_Hotel
Those cats look very well cared for and it's so nice that you can adopt one of the cats if you have a connection.
As much as I love cats, I have to agree with what's been said already... You don't get to sleep through the night... Taken from someone who lives with a furry house master lol
I can assure you that the Anderson House in Minnesota, which I mention above, has cats that are very well behaved. They use secret cat-rays to make you fall asleep and stay asleep. =)
Load More Replies...Considering I've had up to four cats at a time in my house, challenge accepted! Love my kittehs! Funny thing, I'm going through a divorce (my choice) before moving out of the bedroom only one cat would come onto the bed, now that I'm on the loft with my own bed, all three come visit and hang out with me, with one pretty much taken over the bottom third of the bed. Yeah, catdad ftw!
Well, "the" japanese is like "the" americans or "the" british and so on...there are some japanese killing dolphins as there are some japanese offering a cat as a companion... we shouldn' t consider the population of a country as a solid block...
Load More Replies...
271
27