While we didn’t quite make it out to the Cat Island, we saw many wandering with us along the Philosopher’s Path, and we made a point to visit a couple of cat cafes in Tokyo.
Cat cafes are one of my favorite aspects of the Japanese culture, but I also love the traditional kimono, daily behaviors, and spiritual rituals.
Onsen are natural hot springs, sentou are public bath houses (often confused with onsen), and ryokan are traditional hotels often located at onsen.
Our trip kept us mostly to the cities, so we didn’t get to visit a true onsen, but we did spend a couple of nights at a ryokan in Kyoto, and we spent my birthday at a sentou in Odaiba (though it’s labeled as an onsen given its spa-like setup).