Aratama Ryokan

You can meet more than 30 house cats after checking in, and that’s why this place is known as a cat house. But the hotel is a residential house that feels messy throughout, and the room has a toilet but no bath. Dinner was terrible, the worst we had in Japan, and this was the worst hot spring hotel we stayed at anywhere in Japan. Not worth the price at all.

We settled into the cozy room, spent time with the cute, friendly cats, then had a generous dinner made with fresh, high standard ingredients before enjoying the onsen. Breakfast was good too. The hospitality was excellent, and there was nothing that disappointed me. My everyday routine was breakfast, exploring Beppu, back to the hostel for cats, dinner, onsen, then rest. I enjoyed it more than staying at a five star hotel. Just be aware you need to understand and communicate in Japanese at least a little.

The traditional breakfasts and dinners were delicious and plentiful. Staff were really nice, and the hotel has good quality private onsens with lovely spring water. Cat lovers can relax with the cats here.

The hot spring water was quite hot, so with my cold hands and feet in winter, it took me a while to get in. If you like really hot water, though, you’ll be happy. For cat lovers, this place is heaven. You can stay in the cat room surrounded by fluffy cats with shiny, silky coats, even the long-haired ones. They each get individual medication and medical care, and there’s no noticeable smell in the cat room or elsewhere. They ask you to check whether you’ve touched other cats or animals and to bring clothes for the cat room. That makes sense when the inn puts the cats’ welfare first. If you can’t go along with that, staying here might be difficult. They take their cats seriously.