We only stayed one night here during our trip to Japan, but both my kids said it’s the coolest place we’ve *ever* stayed. If you enjoy trying unique lodging experiences, I highly recommend this spot. I’ve always wanted to try a capsule hotel, but it’s difficult to find one that allows children and families, so this was a gem of a find. The owner of Neco Republic Cat Ryokan appears to be a mom running a small business, and she was responsive to messages, kind to my kids, and went to extra effort to help sort out a question regarding payment through a third-party booking platform. The kids adored having their own “sleeping cubbies” and sliding doors, with one wall being a window onto the adjacent cat cafe. There are ceiling-level catwalks (haha) and other climbing structures for the cats so that everyone gets a good view. They named all the cats, discussed their personalities and antics, and drew in the cat-themed guest book. The space is tiny—it’s a capsule hotel, so you’ve basically got a 3’ x 3’ x 7’ cubby to sleep in, with a little lockbox, and the space outside of that is shared (although on the night we stayed, I think we were the only ones there). So don’t expect to spread out your luggage or eat meals here—but the fun of it is the novelty. The location is great for exploring a fascinating neighborhood with lots of restaurants and konbini nearby. Subway station is right at the end of the block. The capsule sleeping spaces actually felt quite roomy and luxurious, with woven mats, wooden walls, and solid wood sliding doors. The bathrooms and other spaces were very clean (and I’m picky) and the shower was delightful, with great water pressure and adorable cat-themed soaps and shampoos. If trying a capsule hotel is on your bucket list, like it was mine, and/or if you’ve got animal-loving kids, this is a sweet spot.

A very unique stay. The room overlooks a cat cafe!!! As a guest, you are also allowed free access to the cafe for an hour. Good location, within walking distance from Dotonbori and many places to go out to.

In hindsight, I find the property rather expensive. Also, there is not much privacy, as the cat cafe customers can look into the room, unless you have the blinds drawn. Perhaps a special window/mirror would’ve helped with this, so you can still see through cats without being seen!

The cats! The sleeping pods have a glass window where you can gaze at the cat cafe space, and following what the kitties are doing is endlessly captivating! Staff was friendly and helpful, and we really loved the fact that this is a rescue cat cafe, where rescue cats get another chance at a better life <3 The attention to cat themed detail is crazy, even the body wash, shampoo and conditioner in the shower were cat themed! And, hostel guests get a complimentary 1 hour in the cat cafe with the cats, either after closing time for other customers (20-21) or the next morning before opening (11-12) so you don't have to share the cats attention with other customers. The staff helped us get acquainted with the cats and told us what kind of approach each of them enjoys, if they like to be approached (some are still very reserved and keep to themselves, which is very okay, of course).

The sleeping pods got quite hot during the night, but that's to be expected, and the opportunity to look at cute cats before bedtime and in the morning more than made up for it.

We loved how kind and friendly the staff were and the pure experience of it. It was a traditional style layout, and we hadn't realized you actually book the entire room. The facilities were clean and it was so fun to just watch the cats play and sleep and exist. The location was amazing, easy to walk 15ish minutes to major Osaka locations.

The only things we didn't like were the smell (if you aren't used to cats then it will be jarring, but we are used to it so it felt familiar, and my tall partner had issues sleeping on the futon.

The location is very convenient for sightseeing. Obviously the major draw is the cats and they did not disappoint - this lodging was my teen daughter's main request for our trip and she enjoyed having time with the cats after closing. The variety and breadth of amenities were unexpected and appreciated. My allergic-to-cats mother-in-law did not experience any discomfort in the Ryokan (she elected not to enter the cafe)

Loved this unique stay having the chance to sleep next to the cat cafe and watch all the cute cats. The space was all cat themed throughout even the shampoo and conditioner. Enjoyed our free hour with the cats alone. We had lots of fuss and played with them. It was great to read about the information on them all and the great work the team are doing with rescuing them. More of an authentic stay sleeping on the futons. Great location.

As a cat lover, this was an amazing experience. But also to experience a ryokan. The sleeping area was comfortable and we might have an idea of why many cats prefer boxes to sleep🤭 We were just a little bit too excited to sleep tightly as we could miss some action with the cats. You can choose when you would like to have one private hour with all cats. We chose right after the closing time on the same day of our check-in as we couldn’t wait any longer to meet the lovely felines. All cats have been strays and are being well taken care of at this place. Each character is respected and they have enough space to retreat. The staff is very nice, kind, and attentive, and even though English skills were lacking, we could communicate well. The sleeping area is clean and has a lot of nice amenities. The bathroom was very practical and well thought through. We recommend staying here without hesitation and would love to come back again one day and buy something from the souvenir shop to support these cats and the facility. This is one of the few places where the cats' well-being is taken care of. Their work is ethical; you can even adopt a cat after some process.

Although the air ventilation was working hard it of course still smells after cat. But what other to expect being so close to all of them? So all in all, nothing to complain about :)

By far the best and most memorable place we stayed during our visit to Japan!! As a group of 4 we got the whole place to ourselves. The bed capsules were spacious and the futons were warm and comfortable. Being able to see the cats through the glass at night was a wonderful experience. The bathroom and shower area were wonderful, very clean and equipped with the best amenities. With your stay you get a free entry to the cat cafe durning business hours or before opening or after closing if you prefer to be alone. The staff was incredibly kind and attentive, and the cats were well taken care of and very playful. It's important to point out that this is one of the few places in Japan that takes good care of the cats and acts as an adoption agency as well, other places are not ethical. I cannot recommend it enough!

I loved everything

Great experience for cat lovers! Fotos match well to reality. We had the whole room just for us. All clean and well equiped. Being able to see the cats play while in bed was quite a fun experience as well as enjoying the cat cafe side just for us for one hour. Our host was quite nice and despite not speaking english, google translate bridge well comunication between both parties.

The sleeping space is with futons so it can be a bit hard if your are not used to it. If you close the shoji separations to sleep it gets quite warm but leaving them open then the air con is somewhat noisy.

We had the best time at the Cat Spa & Cat Ryokan by Neco Republic Osaka. It was wonderful spending time with the cats, watching them play and interact. I love the window that looks into the cat sanctuary from the bed, it’s such a special experience. Our stay here was one of the best parts of the trip! Would highly recommend staying here, we LOVED our experience and it positively impacts the rescued cats when supporting this property!

There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like! We had a wonderful experience.