Volunteer Risa Ikeda looks after cats at Aratama ryokan in Beppu in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 15 ... Oita Prefecture has around 80 cats and has rescued over 1,000 felines ...

For the past two decades, a traditional "ryokan" inn in southwestern Japan has been spreading its hospitality more broadly than most, dedicating more than half of its rooms to give shelter to stray ...